Introduction
Marketers employ various advertising techniques to change the attitudes of their consumers especially when consumer motivation, opportunity, and ability are low. In so doing, the marketers enable their customers to expend minimal efforts particularly in terms of processing information, engaging in behavioral change relative to product consumption, and making decisions. Normally, most studies show that consumers are bound to develop attitudes towards something unconsciously (Hoyer and Macinnis 160).
As a result, these attitudes are also influenced by limited judgment and bodily responses. Again, when the consumers base their attitudes on cognitive processes of the mind, the message delivered by the marketer should be able to influence customer beliefs, which are certainly formed through assumptions, inferences, heuristics, and ascriptions (Hoyer and Macinnis 165).
Moreover, most marketers do influence the favorability and strength of customer beliefs through the use of credible sources of advertising, consistent sources of information, message arguments, and repetition in advertising. Here, sexual themes have been employed in advertising whereby two major forms of sex: sexual suggestiveness and partial or complete nudity, are used to evoke a positive consumer response to a particular product or brand (Hoyer and Macinnis 166).
Consequently, the use of sexual themes in adverts is effective because the classical conditioning theory states that consumer attitudes and behavior are bound to change as a result of repeatedly pairing a message together with a stimulus that generates positive emotional feedbacks in the consumers (Hoyer and Macinnis 167).
Therefore, this essay looks at Calvin Klein’s advertising techniques through comparing two adverts, the first one involving a man and the other a woman. In the long run, it is certain that the advert involving the CK woman is more effective compared to the CK man.
Advert Details
The first advert involves a young man in the age of 17-26 years wearing a blue CK jeans overcoat, CK underwear, white boots, and a pair of brown socks. In this advert, it is certain that the marketer is interested in selling the jeans overcoat and the underwear as opposed to the shoes and socks because the latter are not so much exposed in the picture.
Furthermore, the model’s skin tone is not the center of this advert because the picture contrast is low. Conversely, the ad targets young men in the age of 17-26 years. Moreover, the ad utilizes sexual suggestiveness, partial nudity, sexual model positioning, and overt sexualization techniques to deliver the message to the intended groups.
On the other hand, the second advert involves a sexy young woman in the age of 16-24 years wearing a white CK singlet, a blue CK jeans skirt, and white CK underwear. The woman is positioned in a way that reflects sexual suggestiveness and partial nudity to the viewer. Furthermore, in this advert, the marketer intends to advertise the blue skirt, the white singlet, and the underwear because all the products can be noticed at first glance.
Moreover, the model’s skin tone is also to be noticed because in this picture, the contrast is high. Accordingly, the advert is intended for young women in the age of 16-24 years who would wish to look like the model in the picture. Therefore, this advert utilizes sexual suggestiveness, partial nudity, source attractiveness and likability, and sexual model positioning techniques to deliver the message.
Advert Similarities
Charging from the contents of the adverts described in the foregoing discussions, it obvious that the two ads look alike in that they both use young attractive models positioned in sexual suggestive positions that deliver the intended message without disgusting the viewer.
Furthermore, the two ads utilize almost the same advertising techniques such as source attractiveness because the two models are both very attractive to the viewers. In addition, the two ads employ partial nudity by ensuring that the models’ sensitive body parts are not completely exposed to the viewer as this may disgust some classes of consumers.
Differences between the Ads
On the other hand, major differences are notable in the way the two ads are presented to the viewers. First, it is obvious that the first advert involves a woman and the second one involves a man.
Secondly, the first advert utilizes a low picture contrast to suggest that the intended audience may not pay much attention to the skin color or tone of the model as they will attend to the products and model positioning. On the other hand, the second advert utilizes a high picture contrast to suggest that besides the marketer intending to advertise the products, the marketer would also wish for the consumers to pay attention to the model’s attractiveness.
Conversely, differences between the two ads can also be noted in the way the camera has positioned the models. For instance, in the first advert, the camera has focused on the upper body and part of the lower body while cutting out a considerable portion of the feet and shoes. And in the second ad, the camera has positioned the model in such as way that the whole body is fitted into the picture. In addition, all the products in the second picture are noticeable by the viewer.
Advert Critique
It is no doubt that the two ads are very attractive and effective in delivering the intended message to the audience. However, it is certain that the second ad is more effective because at first glance, the model can capture the consumer’s attention since she is so attractive and strategically positioned.
Secondly, the ad generates emotional responses such as sexual arousal, lust, and enthusiasm, which are bound to influence ones’ mood and attitude towards the products being advertised.
Conclusions
The essay looks at the art of using sexual themes in advertising by looking at two CK adverts involving a man and a woman. From the foregoing discussions, it is certain that the use of sexual themes in advertising influences consumer attitudes and mood, and thus, they can achieve to attract the customer’s attention towards particular brands and products.
Furthermore, it is notable that marketers employ various techniques such as source attractiveness and likability, partial or complete nudity, sexual suggestiveness, and sexual model positioning to gain the attention of their audience.
Work Cited
Hoyer, Wayne D. and Macinnis, Deborah J. Consumer behavior. USA: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.