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Tom Reichert
Quotes
“This is obligatory stuff for anybody in the business . . . a delightfully provocative read for anyone who is the target of advertising . . . ”
Baltimore Sun
“Don’t just look at the pictures. In the text of this well-researched book, Tom Reichert makes a convincing case that sex can sell.”
Al Ries, Chairman, Ries & Ries, Atlanta
The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Sex and Money
Part 1: Age of Innocence? The Early Years
Chapter 2: Smoke and Leers: 1850-1900
Chapter 3: Passion Plays: 1900-1925
Chapter 4: Show and Sell: 1925-1950
Chapter 5: Intimate Intimations: 1950-1975
Part 2: Reaching Maturity? Contemporary Campaigns
Chapter 6: Packaged Goods: Intimates and Underwear
Chapter 7: Designer Desire: Jeans
Chapter 8: Arousing Aspirations: Lifestyle Apparel and High-Fashion
Chapter 9: Aromatic Aphrodisiacs: Fragrance
Chapter 10: Prurient Potions: Beer, Spirits, Soft Drinks, and Coffee
Chapter 11: One Degree of Separation: Condoms, Videos, and VD
Chapter 12: PC Envy: Internet Advertising and Beyond
This book explores how American marketers and advertisers have used sex to sell their brands since the early days of advertising. As such, some of the most sexual and controversial advertising campaigns of all time are detailed quarter century by quarter century. The book begins with a description of how images of naked women adorned ads for tobacco in the 1800s. Later, it also describes how the need for admiration and intimacy was emphasized to sell soap and lotions to ladies in the 1920s. In addition, it shows how romance and titillation were used in the 1950s and 60s for brands such as Noxzema, De Beers, Maidenform, and Miss Clairol.
Lest contemporary readers feel slighted, over half of the book contains descriptions of sex in recent campaigns for soft drinks, alcohol, intimates, designer clothing, fragrances, and, most recently, condoms. If readers want to find out more about Cindy Crawford and Britany Spears starring in Pepsi ads; the Taster’s Choice romantic serial; and Lucky Vanous in Diet Coke ads, it’s to be found here as well as details about campaigns for Stroh’s, Gucci, Vassarette, Candie’s, Durex, Christian Dior, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, and many more.
All of this is intriguingly and entertainingly documented in Tom Reichert’s profusely illustrated book, The Erotic History of Advertising. With numerous illustrations showing many erotic ads—some campy, some esthetically elegant, some homoerotic—that push the boundaries of sexuality and taste from over a century of product marketing, Reichert not only tracks the history of sex in advertising but also explores the many factors that make the link between sex and our consumer culture so successful. Among other things he considers the range of salacious imagery, from mildly suggestive to the use of outright nudity; the emotional impact of sexy ads; the influence of sex on brand recognition; what works and what doesn’t; the differences between male and female responses; and the possible harms of using sex in advertising, especially in regard to young audiences and the perpetuation of female stereotypes.
This book fills another void by fully documenting the use of sex in advertising over a substantial period of time. Books and essays describe the use of sex appeal in the 1920s, 1930s, or 1960s, but nothing weaves it together from the beginning of modern advertising to today—and beyond. It’s important for anyone interested in sex in advertising to have a convenient resource that includes provocative campaigns in the 1880s through today. As a result, readers will discover for themselves that sex in advertising in not a contemporary invention.
This thoughtful, enjoyable, and fascinating look into the world of advertising—from the late 1800s to the most erotic ads of today—will appeal to both media-savvy consumers and aficionados of pop culture.
Tom Reichert, Ph.D., is an Advertising Professor at the University of Georgia. He has dedicated 14 years to studying the prevalence of sex in advertising and its effect on persuasion. He has published on this topic in many scholarly journals, is a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Advertising, and is a coeditor and a contributor to Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal.
More Quotes
“[E]xplores [sex in advertising] with zest, acuity, and almost suppressed humor . . . engagingly informative . . . sparkling social history . . .”
Forward
"...[an] entertaining and fairly comprehensive history of the use of sex in American advertising over the past 150 years...a fun, accessible survey."
Publishers Weekly
“This book is invaluable for any marketer of cars, cola, cologne, condoms, or clothing. Basically, any product starting with the letter ‘C.’”.
Scott Nelson, Executive Creative Director
J. Walter Thompson
“For anyone interested in sex in advertising, this is a must-read book. The Erotic History of Advertising is interesting, informative, and a pleasure to read. The history content is as interesting as the sex!”
Mickey Belch, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing
San Diego State University
Over 100 ads and illustrations From corsets to Calvin Klein, and everything in between Marketing lessons for anyone in advertising, sales, marketing, and promotion Up-to-date descriptions of ads featuring lesbian-chic, romance, and nudity [read a sample chapter]
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