Desiree's Desires, Inc.Sex Sells (but not if you own a sex toy store)
Over the past few weeks we have taken to our blog to discuss the strange world we live in and the rules we must abide by as owners of an adult boutique. We want to take this time to outline another hypocritical fact – sex sells, but we can not use it in our advertising.
We all know when it comes to advertising, creating print or video images that are attractive, appealing, and sexy is the standard. Let’s face it – sex sells! I decided to flip through a Cosmopolitan and Popular Mechanics to see the ads. Let’s count how many advertisers use sex to sell their unsexy products. Here’s a list of what I found:
- make-up/skin care/shampoo/nail polish
- clothes/shoes
- jewelry
- perfume/cologne
- pharmaceuticals
- alcohol
- e-cigarettes
- food
- tampons/maxi pads
I think you’re starting to see a pattern with these ads. Items that have nothing to do with sex, have sex written all over them. Why is this? Sex sells, and we know it. Even if we don’t want to admit it, a sexy image helps a product look more attractive and appealing to the disconcerting buyer. So, if sex sells and sexy imaging is used to sell random products that have nothing at all to do with sex, then why can’t we use sexy images to sell sex toys? We are constantly adapting to the marketplace to make sure we are successful in business. Whether we are being treated equally in the business world, having to overcome zoning regulations, or getting our commercial edited by late night cable television, we are still in it for the long run. We help people enhance their sexual health and wellness. We just don’t understand why the “sex sells” standard advertising polices don’t apply to a business that actually sells sexual products.
Let’s examine what the rules are for adult sex toy store owners. We can NOT advertise at all or in part in: many local papers because they are “family friendly,” TV before 10pm because kids may be watching, online ads on your email pages, and Facebook because of their advertising decency policies. These are traditional avenues for other small businesses that we are prevented from using.
More importantly when we do advertise we are subject to very strict rules. For example when we created our late night TV commercial we had 3 stock images that we were told to remove because of “standards” requirements. We had images synced up to the audio. The first image was a sexy game used to describe “spicy extras,” a couple on a bed was used for “couples toys,” and the last image of a women wearing a babydoll used to describe “lingerie”. None of them were allowed in our commercial.
So BK Lounge can use a picture of a woman with her mouth open sucking on a seven-inch sandwich that will “blow your mind,” but we can’t use sexy pictures to sell sex toy products. In a world where sex sells, I don’t seem to understand why adult boutique owners are prevented from using the advertising industry standard, do you? In fact, I would think it is entirely appropriate for us to advertise sexy images, because after all we are actually selling sex toys to promote sexual health and wellness.
What’s you take on the sex sells culture of advertising? Are we on to something or not?