Many products today use sex as an advertising appeal. This study differentiates between implicit and explicit sex appeal in advertisements and explores their effects. The experimental results showed that individuals with promotion (vs. prevention) regulatory focus exhibit better responses toward sex appeal advertisements. Promotion (vs. prevention) focus messages used in sex appeal advertisements also enhance the advertising effects. The effects of the sex appeal type (implicit and explicit) are moderated by product type and regulatory focus. In advertisements of sex-related products, explicit sex appeal yields better attitudinal responses in individuals with promotion focus, whereas implicit sex appeal yields better attitudinal responses in individuals with prevention focus. However, when the product is unrelated to sex, prevention (vs. promotion) focus, as the individual regulatory focus, weakens the positive effects of implicit sex appeal. In advertisements of products unrelated to sex with promotion focus messages, using sex (vs. non-sex) appeal induces better effects; meanwhile, in advertisements of sex-unrelated products with prevention focus messages, using non-sex (vs. sex) appeal generates better effects. This study makes significant theoretical contributions to the sex appeal advertising literature and regulatory focus theory and offers directions to practitioners on effectively using sex appeal to promote products.
本站僅提供期刊文獻檢索。
