Sexiest commercials of 2009 according to Spike.com

Leave it to Spike, the network devoted to young adult males, to deliver on the sexiest spots of the past year. Spike.com lists the 10 sexiest ads of 2009. True to form, all of them are from a male perspective: lots of breasts, bikinis and girl-on-girl action. We see swimsuit supermodel Bar Refaeli in a revealing two piece, Pamela Anderson and another woman splashing each other with coffee creamer, and Calvin Klein jeans' couch menage-a-trios.

Surprisingly, the list includes three PSAs that gained international attention last year. One, for breast cancer, shows oglers going ga-ga over a Canadian broadcaster's jiggling breasts. A spot featuring a Hitler stand-in having sex, written about last year, to promote HIV-awareness. Rounding out the PSAs is PETA's "banned" Super Bowl ad encouraging veganism that put a new spin on vege-wrap. Let's keep an eye out for the sexiest ads of 2010. Thanks to Ray my TA for keeping me current.

Vintage STD awareness campaign

We talk quite a bit about contemporary safe sex and social marketing campaigns that address sexual issues. Many recent campaigns contain sexual imagery or the subtle interplay of text and image that contributes to sexual meaning. Compare that to this 1919 outdoor ad that appeared in New Jersy [click here to see the billboard]. Imagine passing this message heading south for the family vacation with stationwagon full of kids. "Daddy, what is venereal disease?" I came across this outdoor ad while viewing the "Emergence of Advertising in America" collection; part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.

Can sex be used to sell safe sex?

Brent Mackie believes so. He should know; he conducted an exhaustive literature review on the subject and interviewed HIV-campaign producers and audience members to complete his thesis, “Selling Safe Smut…” Mackie recently earned his MA at University of NSW, National Centre in HIV Social Research.

Specifically, he found that explicit language and imagery are often used to promote safe sex practices among gay men. More important, he found that campaign producers, the people in charge of directing these campaigns, believe that for the message to be perceived as credible and believable, it must be produced by and reflect the “community” and “must at times be sexually explicit.” These message producers also believe that sexually explicit campaign materials work because they communicate “unambiguous and accurate information.”

According to Mackie, sexual appeals do more than just garner attention: “Explicit materials work because they are engaging and relevant to the lives of gay men when responding to the HIV epidemic…”

I was a member of Mackie’s thesis committee. His work covered research from several fields including public health, advertising, social marketing, and mass communication, among others. His thesis is a “must read” for practitioners developing HIV prevention materials as well as scholars with an interest in this area.