Top Five Sexiest 2013 Super Bowl Ads

Another Super Bowl in the books. This year's big game was a down to the wire, but the Ravens prevailed despite a determined 49er's comeback effort. Regardless, research shows that people are as apt to tune in for the ads as much as for the on-field action.

As usual, several ads in this year's big game contained sexual themes and/or imagery. Here is our list of the five sexiest Super Bowl ads in 2013 plus some honorable mentions. View all the the Super Bowl ads at USA Today and tell us what you think.

5.  Tie:  Best Buy - Asking Amy / Audi - Prom
Amy Poehler asks as lot of questions of her Best Buy associate that become increasingly playful:  "Do you deliver? No, I mean, do you deliver?" And "Does it make you uncomfortable when I use the word 'dongle?' Playful for sure. And "Will this one read 50 Shades of Grey to me in a sexy voice? Will you?" Again, playful and flirty. Nothing over the top but humorous and one sure to go over the kids' heads.

Lots of interesting messages in this Audi spot, but a protracted smooch with the prom queen earns this commercial from Venables Bell a tie for top five. Long kisses was a theme in this year's Super Bowl (see Go Daddy's spot at #2).

4.  Speed Stick:  Laundry
Fairly classic theme with a young man caught inadvertently folding a strangers underwear at the laundromat. Totally innocent, of course, but he does insert his foot into mouth at the end. Again, a tired theme but almost any ad with undergarments will get on the list.

3.  Axe:  Lifeguard
Eye candy for both men and women alike, Axe's latest effort attempts to prove that astronauts (that wear Apollo) are more desirable than sexy lifeguards--even those who duke it out with great whites. Humorous spot with a predictable ending. Reminiscent of Baywatch with plenty of chiseled hunks and skimpy bikinis, this spot is definitely qualifies as sex in advertising.

2.  Godaddy.com:  Perfect Match
Featuring supermodel Bar Refaeli--is DiCaprio jealous?--the spot features an extreme closeup of Bar (sexy) slurpily kissing (meets) nerd (smart). Word is that the domain-name marketer had its busiest day for online traffic last night. Like it or not, there is little doubt that sexual content has served to distinguish Go Daddy from the competition. As one colleague said, "Ask most Americans to name another domain marketer."

1.  Calvin Klein:  Concept
Also disliked by most viewers (USA Today's Ad Meter) and panned by Ad Age, this spot was nonetheless, the sexiest spot of 2013 Super Bowl. Who can argue that this spot was a blatant example of beefcake in the extreme. The spot from Calvin Klein created awareness its Concept line of underwear.

Honorable Mentions
Kia: HotBots; M & Ms: Love Ballad; and Mercedes-Benz: Soul.

Prediction: Less sex in advertising in 2013

At Cannes Lions this summer, Susanna Kempe, CEO of WGSN, predicted for 2013 that “overt sexualisation” will be out. She should know; WGSN is a leading trend analysis firm servicing the apparel and design industries. This global business spots macro-trends and seeks to keep clients “on trend” or at least ahead of the curve.

Apparel and designer brands have long been at the forefront of sexual explicitness in advertising and marketing. Dolce & Gabbana has faced scrutiny for ads that crossed many lines, as have American Apparel and other designer brands with ad featuring adult themes, homoeroticism, bondage or nudity.

It was once explained to me that designer brands, at least in consumer magazines where there are page-after-page competition, must do something to stand out from the crowd. This can include pushing boundaries and flirting with sexual taboos. Being at the forefront—important for exclusive brands—also means associating your brand with elite fringe social trends.

Research generally shows that sexual content in advertising continues to increase each year. But there are exceptions. In the 1980s, for instance, ads displaying hook-ups and anonymous sexual situations took back seat to stories of ‘sex within committed relationships’ as awareness of HIV increased. Similarly, Sam Shahid has said that advertising reflects the cultural and political barometer: It even reflects who occupies the White House (less under W., more under Clinton).

What other routes may designers take in 2013 other than overt sexuality? Simplicity, letting luxury speak for itself and “deteching”—or moving away from too much social media (read more here), say Kempe and WGSN. It will be interesting to see if their predictions are accurate.

Diesel successfully exploits the link between fragrance and fashion, and sex

Use with extreme caution. That's the advice of marketing researcher and consultant Bob Brecht in a recent post about sex in advertising. Dr. Brecht refers to industry research concluding that sexual appeals are effective at grabbing attention but tend to drain attention away from brand information. Rightly, he also makes the point that product relevance to sex is key to use of this emotional appeal.

I'm reminded of the accompanying ad for Diesel fragrance for men. This adappeared in public posters (at least in France) this summer as well as in magazines. The message is that Diesel cologne is "fuel for life" and, I suppose, an important component of male virility. Fortunately the ad contains a warning, "Use with caution," so that young men will be mindful of the cologne's effects.

Whether effective or not, fragrance does have a legitimate claim to relevance with sexual attraction. The use of sexual appeals is not new for Diesel. In addition to attracting attention to its ads with sex (and judges at Cannes Lions), Diesel continues to successfully employ this appeal to market its products.

What do monkeys and humans have in common when it comes to sex in advertising?

Do monkeys respond to sex in advertising?

That’s what a team of advertising professionals, market researchers and primatologists is seeking to discover.

I attended a seminar at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity where Elizabeth Kiehner and Keith Orwell did a marvelous job explaining their research project. I also learned that the test subjects, Capuchin monkeys, share up to 98% of human DNA.

The marketers teamed up with Laurie Santos of the Yale primatology lab. Dr. Santos has done some ground breaking work with Capuchins, including teaching them how to use money. Advertising seems like a natural if you want to part monkeys and their money. Sex in advertising is first in a serious of studies designed to see if monkeys can be shown to respond to advertising.

The concept for the sexual ad is built around the monkeys’ natural behavior. We were told that female Capuchins publicly masturbate. The males find this behavior intriguing and copulation naturally follows observation. This sexual behavior sequence happens frequently each day.

So, the creative team designed an ad featuring the female Capuchin in all her glory. They paired this image (and a non-sexual image) with a logo. The hypothesis is that the sexual image will result in a behavioral preference when just the logo is available.

I suspect the researchers will discover a sexual effect. Sex is a powerful motivator that should become associated with through simple conditioning with a brand logo. We know these effects translate in the marketplace with humans. With such a shared heritage, we should expect the same with Capuchins.

It would be really interesting to see if the monkeys vary in their affinity to sexual stimuli. Working with Michael LaTour and John Ford, we just reported in JAR that personality variables as well as moral reasoning influence human responses to nudity in advertising. I want to know if the same is true for monkeys.

We look forward to hearing the results of this intriguing study.

New ads prove sex can be used to protect computers and consumers

A recent Adweek post proves that sex can be used to sell... computer virus protection? Well, the campaign hasn't sold much, yet, but two new ads for Webroot, a security software program, touch on ubiquitous email scans related to "sexy singles" and promises of "male enhancement." Both spots are subtle and humorous but resonate with anyone with an email account. The spots were created by TDA.

Sexy ads push Obscene Jeans stock symbol

Fashion brands can justify employing sexy ads. The approach is especially relevant for a new denim brand with the name Obscene Jeans. Instead of selling jeans, however, its sexy online ad is designed to foster investor relations and sell shares.

I noticed the accompanying ad for Obscene Jeans on my Google stock portfolio page. As viewers check the status of stocks in their watch list, they also see a woman pulling up her blouse and the headline, "If you think I'm hot, you should see this stock! Ticker Symbol OBJE."

OBHE is the OTC symbol for Obscene Jeans Corp. The stock has been trading since January 2011, mostly between $2 and $3. The company bills itself as a lifestyle and apparel brand that "produces eye-popping denim fashion for the world's sexiest women." Rachel Stark-Capelli is designing the firm's first line which will be available in Fall 2011. A deal was recently inked so that Obscene Jeans and its product line will be distributed in China and Europe.

Research shows that sex in advertising is most effective when it is relevant to the brand. Sex and designer fashion is no-brainer but, I suppose, sex is expected when promoting a brand named "obscene." The word means to incite lust or to askew standards of decency and morality. As such, the brand compares itself to LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, but its name is more closely aligned with Playboy fashion and Porn Star Clothing.

The online ads have drawn some attention; some good, some not so good. Most of the talk has been speculation about the stock's value instead of its advertising. Though it's likely that much of the brand's initial attention was generated by its name and sexy online ads.

Sex appeals increasingly used to sell plastic surgery

Want to look and feel sexier? Consider plastic surgery.

According to a recent study published in 2011, this is the message physicians are increasingly using to promote cosmetic surgery. In fact, some of the most invasive procedures--breast augmentation and liposuction-- are more likely to include sex appeals compared to noninvasive procedures. The lead author and primary contributor was University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor Heidi Hennink-Kaminski. The study appeared in the journal Sexuality & Culture. I know this study fairly well because I am a coauthor.

Dr. Hennink-Kaminski trained coders to examine 2,400 cosmetic surgery ads in big-market city magazines published over a 20 year period; from 1986 to 2007. Overall, 20% of the ads contained a sexual appeal but three times as many sexual ads appeared in the second decade (1997-2007).

Sexual appeals are more likely to emphasize the sexual enhancement of one's self-esteem (e.g., "feel sexier"). A little over a third of sexual appeals emphasize enhanced sexual attractiveness, and about 10% of ads make the claim, either implicitly or explicitly, that increased sexual behavior is an outcome of cosmetic surgery (e.g., "more sex/better sex").

It should come as no surprise that women--many of them partially dressed or naked--appear in 97% of the sexual ads. Given the target audience these ads are not designed to promote sexual arousal but are designed to serve as aspirational and instructional, with sexual behavior and feelings used as reasons for considering a cosmetic procedure.

There are plenty of implications. For one, should an emotion-based appeal such as sex be used to sell surgery? Doing so certainly violates norms within the medical community that advertising should be limited to information about the practice, not compelling emotional benefits. Please comment about implications you feel are important.

Consumer Reports determines Dial's "sex appeal" claim comes up short

Will Dial “Magnetic” body wash for men enhance their sex lives? Not according to research by Consumer Reports. In its February 2011 issue, CR investigated Dial’s claim that the pheromone-infused wash would attract women. The scientist they interviewed said, “no way.”

Dial joins a long line of male targeted soaps, deodorants and body sprays positioned as sexual enhancers. Think of brands such as Axe, Tag, and Old Spice that employ the sexual benefit trope: “Use our brand, and get the attention of the opposite sex.” In advertising, this strategy was first used in 1911 by JWT to sell Woodbury Facial Soap to women. The appeal was so successful that JWT and hundreds of other agencies have used it to sell almost every personal care product imaginable, and continue to do so today.

CR does neglect to consider that simple bathing, an act some young men find abhorrent, may indeed enhance one’s prospects. But then any deodorant soap will do.

Abortion-services TV ad/campaign to air in UK

Ad Age reports that an ad for abortion services will air May 24 after 10 PM. The ad is sponsored by Marie Stopes International, a sexual health charity. According to the Ad Age report and BBC, government regulators approved the spot, the first ever TV commercial for abortion services.

"To allow abortion providers to advertise on TV, as though they were no different from car companies or detergent manufacturers, is grotesque," said a spokersperson for an anti-abortion organization in response to the upcoming commercial.

The spot will run after 10 PM to minimize exposure among children. Abortion is not directly mentioned in the ad but viewers are asked, "Are you late?" Viewers are encouraged to call a 24-hour hotline. No doubt that callers on both sides of the abortion issue will be making their voices heard.

Sex and the Census

Since we're in the midst of a census, thought you would find this tobacco ad intriguing. The headline reads: "Should a gentleman offer a Tiparillo to a census taker?" Which begs the question, has anyone ever seen a census taker who even closely resembles the twins in the ad?

Readers could mail in the coupon for a 1968 Tiparillo pin-up calendar featuring the twins and 11 other sexy shots. Otherwise the ad offers a fairly standard sex-related promise: Offer Tiparillos and you're sure to gain the favorable attention of sex kittens.

Beauty sells insomnia meds

This direct response ad for Nocturnix, an insomnia supplement, recently running in Newsweek probably attracted a few eyeballs. It got our attention: An oversized closeup of a beautiful woman's face will stop traffic whether it has any connection to the product or not.

A quick analysis of this ad's strategy, using a woman for decorative purposes, might bring our attention to the "beautiful is good" paradigm. Developed by social psychologists and marketers, this theory says people's interpersonal relationships, judgments, and beliefs might be affected by their own beauty and their perceptions of beauty in others. When advertisers use this strategy, they are counting on this "benefit" to their products or services. So, when viewing this ad, the consumer might think this equation: beautiful woman = good product.

Using the "beautiful is good" theory, companies combine physically attractive employees with sexualized contexts to attract attention, brand products and sell merchandise. Read more about it in "Erotic Encounters: Female Employees and Promotional Activities" in Sex in Consumer Culture: The Erotic Content of Media and Marketing (2006), co-edited by Tom Reichert and Jacqueline Lambiase.

Want to read more the role of physical attractiveness in marketing? Check out these scholars: Ashmore, Solomon, & Longo, 1996; Dion, Berscheid, & Walster, 1972; Patzer, 1985; and Reingen, Ronkainen, & Gresham, 1981.

--Guest post contributed by Jacqueline Lambiase

Manscaping: Men managing their body hair

Are you worried about your hair down there? Are you insecure about how it looks? No, these aren’t questions directed to women, but to men. Taking care of “hair down there” is typically a concern for women. Remember the recent Schick Quattro videos urging women to “mow the lawn?”

But Gillette is tapping into the male landscaping theme. A comparison of two studies shows that since 2005 the percentage of men engaging hair removal increased from 63% to over 80% (Boroughs et al., 2005; Nytimes, 2009).

Gillette’s art of manscaping has gained a lot attention for its informational website. It tells men how to groom their armpits, head, chest, legs, and groin. In one scene, it features a young man in a towel swaggering into an animated forest while the narrator states, “If you want to see the tree you shouldn’t have to blaze a trail to get there. Trees look taller when there is no underbrush.” Near the man is a scantily dressed “girl scout” seductively eyeing him up and down.

The Web site not only tells men why to shave their groins, but how to shave them. This section states Gillette’s catch phrase, “trimming the bush to make the tree look taller,” twice as a cartoon man illustrates the step-by-step process to looking larger, but warns to be careful and not “put the equipment at risk.” The phrase “make the tree look taller” and the imagery allows for the male audiences to make a logical connection between the product and their personal size.

The “groin” how-to video has garnered over 2 million views on YouTube and over 2,000 comments. The comments—by both men and women—reveal mixed feelings about overly groomed men. Overall, Gillette does a good job identifying and voicing reasons men may want to consider manscaping. At the very least, Gillette is effectively tapping into the male grooming trend.

--Posted by Allison Einsiedel

SoBe's Ashley Greene dons skinsuit in 2010 Swimsuit Issue

In the upcoming 2010 edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, the movie star Ashley Greene (of the "Twilight" series fame) will appear nude, in a sense.

The young actress has stripped down to her birthday suit for a photo-shoot to feature prominently in the famous sports magazine, however it isn’t quite Playboy. No, Greene is sporting a bathing suit, a painted on bathing suit.

The photo shoot is actually an elaborate advertising campaign for drink manufacturer SoBe’s “Lifewater” drinks.

In fact, when I visited the SoBe website, the homepage has been redesigned so that the entire background is one of the pictures from Greene’s photo-shoot. On the website you can view numerous pictures of Greene sporting a various painted-on bathing suits. The style of the bathing suit is obviously supposed to resemble scales, a reference to SoBe’s lizard mascot. A video the photo shoot can also be found on online.

This blurring of advertising and content isn’t the first time that Sports Illustrated has featured a woman wearing nothing but paint. In fact, as recently as the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, not one, but multiple women wearing nothing but the painted skin on their backs. So what makes Ashley Greene doing it so special? Well, a couple things.

First of all, Ashley Greene is best known for playing the character, Alice Cullen in the insanely popular, book-turned-movie franchise, "Twilight." I know very little about the "Twilight" series, and while I have never actually seen any of the movies (or read the books from that part) I am aware that her role is prominent. The headline “Twilight Star to appear nearly nude in Magazine.” Is bound to attract some attention due to the popularity of movie franchise.

Secondly, this is not the first time that, Greene has appeared naked on camera. In August of 2009 amateur nude photos surfaced on the internet. While legal action was taken by Greene and her attorney in order to remove the pictures, the images had already spread across the internet.

So here is a young, attractive actress who is a part of a massively popular movie-franchise who also has gained a bit of a status as a sex symbol due to an nude picture incident. It’s not an original tale, not by a long shot, but it is one that people seem to be fascinated with. And it’s a tale that SoBe is implementing to read the rewards of market share.

--Posted by Zachary Taylor

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.

Sexual social marketing for HIV/AIDS

Controversy is brewing about some sexually explicit posters hyping the Minnesota AIDS Walk. The organization is using skin to create awareness about the event, and headlines such as "How much will you raise?"

The campaign also includes outtakes of the photo shoot that are posted on YouTube. The videos will probably raise as much if not more awareness than the posters.

Brent Mackie's masters thesis contains a comprehensive review of sexually-explicit promotional approaches for HIV/AIDS campaigns. The idea, especially for the posters, is to grab attention and raise attention among those in the target audience. Some people think the sexual approach stereotypes Gays and that advertisers should appeal to our higher instincts. But Mackie's interviews with campaign organizers reveal that they believe the materials should speak directly to the people most at risk--young Gays in this case.

If creating attention and awareness are the goal, these messages will effectively spread the word.

"OM3!" CW hypes Gossip Girl threesome

I missed the episode, but looks like Dan got entangled in a menage a trios in the most recent episode of "Gossip Girl." CW is hyping the episode with promos hearlding "OM3!" instead of it's usual "OMG."

Ad Age's Brian Steinberg asks, "So why is it that whenever TV shows depict people engaging with multiple sexual partners (not particularly common, mind you, on ABC and the rest), the critics come out in force?" He's refering to condemnation from the Parents Television Council.

It's clear in this case that viewer age is the vital concern. Today, adults can handle sexual themes. With kids, however, showcasing threesomes is a different matter. Kids learn from what they see on TV. They might not go out and "do it" (immediately), but they'll think about and likely come to the conclusion that it is more prevalent among teens than in reality.

More important, CW is trying to attact teen eyeballs. How better to do that than with sex?

"If it plays in Singapore..."

...it may not play in the States." That's the latest reaction to the accompanying Burger King ad for the "Super Seven Incher" meal deal that ran in Singapore. Not to disappoint my subliminal friends, but the ad's sexual meaning is clearly evident. Burger King has been attractive negative attention for its viral Whopper Virgin campaign, and well as "square pants" commercials. Mainstream media and blog reactions, as well as those of franchisees, are critical of the sexual and otherwise offensive themes in BK ads. The quick-service brand and its advertising partners agreed to tone down the sexual content but promise to continue a quest for "edgy" to build and maintain share.

What do you see in this billboard?

That's the question puzzling Athenians recently as they leave downtown. A second question quickly follows: "And what does she (and what's she's doing) have to do with a credit union?"

Credit Flagpole's Chris Hassiotis with the picture and printing both questions in the June 10 issue. Answer #1: A woman looking for change in her dryer. Answer #2: Well, the credit union's VP of marketing said it was one of several images in the the campaign targeted to college students who are, you know, always scratching for a couple bucks.

According to Hassiotis' lead, the image has tickled the male imagination, or at least triggered thoughts within both sexual and sexist contexts. But others see something else entirely. "It's funny to me," said the CU's VP, "...It's a girl who's fully clothed. The advertising is of someone fully clothed. I mean, I'm a Sunday school teacher."

Which begs the question, when is a young woman on all fours with her head stuck in a dryer just a young woman on all fours with her head stuck in a dryer?

Universities offering more educational opportunities to attractive students

In a recent posting I noted the trend toward increasing enrollment during sluggish economic times appears to be limited to physically attractive people. Recent ads for graduate schools are featuring students with big smiles, tans and tight tops. Are these model actual students or are the staffs of university public affairs departments borrowing a page from product advertising? The models in ads for degrees including doctorates are just as likely to populate the pages of talent books.

Download yourself to AX's lust land

Armani Exchange is leaving no male backside covered in its Summer 2009 campaign. More important, those who what to surround themselves with these images can download them to their computers and mobile devices as screensavers, icons, wallpaper and badges.

Imagine slightly more European models in Abercrombie catalogs and you have the AX campaign. Instead of just boys romping together, this time the protagonist is a woman and she’s doing her best to straddle, kiss, embrace, and get her way into two men’s pants.

AX is branding itself as sexy, playful and chic with a summer twist. It’s a land of tan chiseled men and sexually assertive women, all who wear Armani when convenient. For those who want to be part of this scene, who find these images compelling, they can download these lustful images into their lives and share them with friends. No more tearing pages from Cosmo and tacking them to the bulletin board. In this way digital technology allows advertisers to infuse their brand images beyond the pages of a magazine.

Text AX to ARMANI [276264] for image download/signup. Downloads are free. Text AX requires opt-in for up to 3 messsages p/mo. Standard rates/data charges may apply. Participating carriers only.

AX is simply branding its clothing: “This is how we think of our brand and how we want to be perceived.” Just good old sex-in-fashion-advertising. But these images also communicate messages about social and sexual norms and ideals. And with the power to surround oneself with these images, the stronger is their power to resonate with consumers.