Meet Verizon’s sexy wireless girl

As a Verizon customer, I’m surprised to see it partnering with Maxim to promote its “girl of the month.”

Verizon, a Fortune 500 company, promotes itself as “family friendly” with dependable and reliable service. Its Foundation seeks to foster education, health, safety, and literacy—with links to videos about domestic violence prevention.

But here Verizon is promoting wireless services with promises of sexy behind-the-scenes shots of Kimberly Sarah: She “calls herself a ‘goodie-goodie,’ but if her sexy photo shoot was any indication, we have a feeling there’s an inner wild chick bubbling just below the surface.” Readers who “like what [they] see,” can see more “only on Verizon wireless V-cast.”

One has to question why Verizon, a company that publicly values corporate responsibility, partners with a sexist publication like Maxim to market video streams of modeling shoots. The tactic obviously enhances viewership, but much more is expected from a company such as Verizon.

A sexy twist on organ donation

A Belgian agency recently won an award for best non-profit ad by putting a sexy twist on a topic known to be a conversation killer.

Duval Guillaume, a 200-person outfit, produced "Reborn to be Alive" campaign to get people talking about organ donation and to make them aware that in Belgium one needs to sign up (opt-in) to be a donor.

Similarly in the U.S., states require you to "opt-in" to become an organ donor. If not, your next of kin is asked to make the decision if something happens to you. Unfortunately, many people don't talk about their wishes because it grosses them out or--"knock on wood"--talking about it might make it happen.

The accompanying ad, "Becoming a donor is probably your only chance to get inside her," appeared in a leading Belgian men's magazine. According to the awarding publication, the campaign is a "sexy and surprising interpretation of a serious topic." The ad is a definite example of how sex in advertising can be used to promote prosocial issues. Whether this ad is in good taste or appropriate for audiences other than Maxim readers is completely different issue.

Sex appears to be on the minds of Duval Guillaume. Consider some of the campaigns it showcases on its site.

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.

Sex and sado in "Rock of Love" promo

Just what we need, more “Rock of Love” from VH1. This time the women aren’t vying to be Bret Michaels’ rock pet but, with the help of Headmistress Sharon Osbourne, cleaning up their act, learning manners and trying to ditch their “rebellious” ways. Note the full-page promo pitching "Charm School" that recently appeared in People. Osbourne threatens to paddle “bad” contestants dressed in hyper-sexed schoolgirl uniforms—an obvious blend of sadomasochism and pornographic themes. This ads is over the top in many respects, especially considering that it ran in a publication that reaches a huge chunk of middle America.

Vintage sex-and-cigar ad

Here’s a vintage ad that borders on believability. This Muriel cigar ad is intriguing for several reasons, some of which I’ll let you decode. But essentially Muriel is arguing that smoke from its flavored cigars (blueberry, burgundy, grape, cherry, etc.) has the power to subdue attractive women—just exhale in their face.

White Owl Cigars

I’m reminded of an infamous 1930s campaign for White Owl cigars. Company research revealed that White Owl cigar smoke contained fewer chemical substances that caused bad breath then competitive cigars. Capitalizing on this marketing advantage, the J Walter Thompson agency ran print and billboard ads with men and women passionately kissing accompanied by the White Owl logo. The message: A man didn’t have to worry about nasty cigar smoke preventing intimate time with his favorite woman. Sales increased the first year but declined the next.

White Owl’s brand promise fell flat: “less” bad breath is still bad breath. I suspect Muriel experienced the same result with its fruit-flavored cigar line.

This ad was posted on Camel Tap as an example of cigarette ads you’re not likely to ever run again. Visit the site and you'll see why.

Sex and chocolate: A timeless combination

Image the following scenario: A single women, popcorn in-hand, is watching her favorite romantic comedy. The woman, longing for her own personal George Clooney to appear and sweep her off her feet, gazes enviously at the film’s happy lovers, when a Pepperidge Farm spot flashes on the screen. Finally it clicks: That’s what’s missing—love AND cookies.

A similar scenario may be playing out in this Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie print ad that appeared in a 2007 issue of Good Housekeeping. The cookie “man” and chocolate “woman” are locked in an intimate embrace—the perfect combination for a delicious cookie experience. In addition to the sexuality of the embrace, the ad plays on the emotional attachment that women have to love—every woman is searching for her soulmate.

In my opinion, the ad says that cookies are equivalent to love. Overall, the ad is attempting to create an emotional attachment between the viewer, love, food, and the brand. This is an effective combination given that for women, sexual appeals and relationships are much more powerful than blatant sexuality or nudity.

This ad also created a stir for its hints of racism. See Steve Hall's commentary on Adrants for details.

--Posted by Sarah Doss

Ultimate in sex promotion

CNN recently reported that a 21-year-old Sacramento State U student is selling her virginity. Natalie Dylan is promoting herself via Dennis Hof's "World Famous" Bunny Ranch. Her motivation? To earn enough to not work while earning a masters degree in, of all things, marriage and family development. Her promotional efforts landed her an interview on "The Howard Stern Show," local news exposure in Sacramento on CBS 13, and a clip on CNN.