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Part Seven Special Topics and Perspectives
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
Exhibit 22-4 Many
magazines and TV stations
now accept ads for condoms
Exhibit 22-5 Sexual
appeals are often criticized
for portraying women as sex
objects
VII. Special Topics and
Perspectives
22. Evaluating the Social,
Ethical, & Economic
Aspects of Advtising &
Promotion
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
A common criticism of sexual appeals is that they can demean women (or men) by
depicting them as sex objects. Ads for cosmetics and lingerie are among the most criticized
for their portrayal of women as sex objects (Exhibit 22-5). Some ads have even
been criticized for being implicitly suggestive. For example, some women’s groups
criticized the Airwalk ad shown in Exhibit 22-6, arguing that it showed a submissive
and sexually available woman. A critic argued that the ad contained a number of symbolic
cues that are sexually suggestive and combine to reinforce an image of the
woman’s sexual submission to the man. 24
Critics have been particularly concerned about the use of sexual appeals in the
advertising of products such as cigarette, liquor, and beer. Sexual appeals and risqué
images have long been used in advertising for alcoholic beverages.
In the early 90s an advertising campaign for Old
Milwaukee beer featuring the “Swedish Bikini Team,” a
group of Scandinavian-looking women wearing blue bikinis
who appeared out of nowhere in front of groups of beerdrinking
men, ignited a major controversy. A number of
consumer groups were very critical of the ads, and female
employees even sued the Stroh Brewing Co., arguing that
the ads contributed to an atmosphere that was conducive to
sexual harassment in the workplace. 25
A number of alcoholic-beverage companies have been
criticized more recently for using what many consider
raunchy advertising. 26 For example, the Phillips Beverage
Co. used several controversial ads to introduce Revelstoke,
a spiced Canadian liquor product. One of the ads showed a