Does sex sell? The effect of sexual programme content on the recall of sexual and non-sexual advertisements

Parker, Ellie, and Adrian Furnham. 2007. "Does sex sell? The effect of sexual programme content on the recall of sexual and non-sexual advertisements." Applied Cognitive Psychology 21, no. 9: 1217-1228.

The authors of this study examined brand recall of sexual versus non-sexual advertisements inserted within television programs. The article begins with an in depth look into previous studies involving television advertisements of a sexual or violent nature. The authors’ study is based upon these previous theories which claim that sexual or violent commercials invoke emotions within consumers and lead to increases in sales.

To briefly summarize the authors’ experiment, participants, students aged 18 to 31, were asked to watch either ‘Sex in the City’ or ‘Malcolm in the Middle.’ After which, they were asked to recall details of the advertisements played during commercial break. The authors found that television shows containing sexual content, such as ‘Sex in the City,’ hindered consumers’ recall of advertisements. However, the type of advertisement, sexual or non-sexual, did not have a major effect on recall. The authors also reported differences between gender and advertisement recall. Males recalled sexual advertisements better, while females recalled non-sexual advertisements better. Those who recalled specific content of the advertisements remembered the brand name as well.

I found the information provided in this article to be useful. The authors’ literature review solidifies their study and gives them credibility. This article, and the additional sources cited in this article, could really enrich the literature reviews of advertisement studies. Not only does it discuss sexuality, the article also touches on issues of violence, gender roles, and age.