Critical Analysis: Sex Appeal in Luxury Advertising in Thai Fashion

This report provides a critical analysis of the fashion/designer community's perceptions regarding the use of sex appeal in advertising luxury international brands in Thailand. The research explores how Thai people in the fashion industry perceive sex appeal in advertisements and its potential impact on luxury brands. It investigates the suitability of different product types for sex appeal advertising, examining the implications for the Thai fashion industry and society. The study employs semi-structured interviews to gather data, analyzing key themes and topics. Findings address the influence of cultural contexts, consumer attitudes, and the effectiveness of various advertising strategies. The report also discusses the limitations, contributions to theory and practice, and scope for future research. The research highlights the importance of understanding consumer behavior and the evolving trends in advertising to enhance brand image and marketing strategies.

Running head: MARKETING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
A critical analysis of the perceptions held by the fashion/designer community on the use of
sex appeal in advertising luxury international brands in Thailand
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction:...........................................................................................................................3
2. Discussion on the findings:....................................................................................................4
2.1 How Thai people in the fashion industry perceived the use of sex appeal in the
advertisement of international luxury brands and how this could affect the luxury brands? 9
2.2 What types of products are suitable and unsuitable for sex appeal advertising and why?
..............................................................................................................................................11
2.3 What are the implications of sex appeal advertising for the Thai fashion industry and
for society in general from an industry insider perspective?...............................................11
3. Scope for future research:....................................................................................................12
4. Research limitation:.............................................................................................................13
5. Contribution to theory:.........................................................................................................13
6. Contribution to practice:......................................................................................................15
References:...............................................................................................................................16
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1. Introduction:
In the highly competitive business environment, the need of promoting of business
appropriately is increasing rapidly. As discussed by Aaker (1999) appropriate promotion is
playing a major role in the way of strengthening the public image of the firms by keeping the
customers updated regarding the products and services offered by them. Since the early
twentieth century, the frequency of using an advertisement to promote products is increasing
rapidly. It has been observed that in contemporary times, the customers are becoming more
attracted with various types of advertisement, which are shown to them through various
media channels. Aaker, et al. (2004) observed that the companies are using both digital and
print media to make an advertisement and thereby promote their products properly in the
market. It is worthy to note in this context that the global luxury fashion brands are putting
more stress on social media marketing, which is the key to attracting global customers.
These luxury fashion brands are advertising and marketing their products via
Facebook and Twitter to provide the customers with luxurious value of their products, which
is very much needed in terms of keeping wide ranges of customers attracted. Akaka and
Alden (2010) showed that in contemporary times, sex appeal is being widely used by the
international luxury fashion brands in terms of promoting their products appropriately in the
market. In the contemporary times, sex appeal is playing a critical role for the luxury fashion
brands for the sake of launching the advertisement of their products and thereby keeping the
customers attracted. For instance, erotic sensuality advertising campaign has been launched
by the famous innerwear companies to attain the attraction of both upper and middle-class
customers. Besides, Alden et al. (1999) also said that the global fashion giants like Gucci and
Chanel are also putting more stress on integrating sex appeal to make more appealing
advertisements for their products. However, Albert et al. (2008) counter-argued by saying
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that one of the most emerging countries like China are putting stress on lowering nudity in
their advertisement, which is making it difficult for them to create a significant impact on the
minds of the customers in compared to that of the Western Countries. It has been observed
that sex appeal in the advertisement is playing a critical role in generating a positive attitude
among the customers which is very much needed in terms of strengthening the public image
of a firm. This chapter draws the closure of the entire research. The important portions of the
findings have been highlighted in the paper. The way, through which the Thai people
perceived the usage of sex appeal in the advertisement and the type of people that are
appropriate and inappropriate for sex appeal advertising will be discussed in the paper.
Furthermore, the implications of sex appeal in the advertisement on the society will also be
presented in this chapter of the research paper.
2. Discussion on the findings:
In the context of making appealing advertisements, the trend of using sex appeal is
increasing rapidly. Anabila et al. (2015) observed that the companies are focusing on
maintaining healthy communication with the customers, which is the key to keeping the
customers attracted. In the media environment, the companies are becoming more inclined
towards executing various techniques by breaking the conventional trend of advertisement for
the sake of attracting cross shoppers. This is the way, through which the companies are
becoming able to catch the attention of a wide range of customers. Anne (1971) stated that in
the contemporary times, sex appeal is considered as one of the most significant and appealing
marketing strategies, being widely used by the marketers in terms of launching mainstream
consumer advertising. This is the most popular techniques, used by the marketers to promote
their products and services appropriately in the market. It has been observed that print media
such as magazines and newspapers are used by companies for more than 100 years to make
advertisements for their products. It has been observed that using sex appeal in promoting
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alcohol is increasing rapidly. However, Anggraeni (2015) argued by saying that the trend of
using sex appeal in the advertisement is emerging as one of the most controversial matters for
several decades.
Still, it has also been observed that the in-spite of such controversies, the frequency of
using sex appeal in the advertisement is increasing rapidly. Yet, as per the perception of
Baumeister et al. (2001), it has been observed that the feminists showed that the trend of
using sex appeal in an advertisement is an alarming issue as it can have a persuasive effect on
the minds of the customers to consume the products. The messages with sex appeal are the
latest trend in the advertisement. It has been reported that these messages contain sexual and
vulgar information, which can also hurt the minds of the customers. According to Berthon et
al. (2009) using sex appeal in the advertisement is creating a false image among the
customers which can create a feeling of inadequacy among the female customers. In addition
to that, using sex appeal in advertisement often manipulates the need and creates demand
among the customers. This is acting as the driving force for grabbing attention among the
customers. Still, Belch et al. (1982) argued by highlighting the fact that international luxury
brands are widely using sex appeal in the advertisement. There are five main types of sexual
content which include nudity, physical attractiveness, sexual behavior, sexual embeds, and
sexual referents which are being used by the companies for the sake of using sex appeal in
the advertisement. For instance, the leaders in the international fashion industry like Gucci,
Chanel, and Dior are highly using sex appeal for the sake of catching the attraction of global
customers. Blair et al. (2006) opined that this is the way, through which the companies are
becoming able to warm up the customers, which is very much needed in terms of keeping the
customers attracted.
Using sex appeal in the advertisement is one of the most standardize approaches to
attract customers cost-effectively. Bochner (1994) put stress on the fact that in contemporary
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times, gender is one of the key factors in determining consumer behavior. It has been
observed that the young male generation are highly inclined towards sex appeal and showing
a positive attitude towards using sex appeal in advertising the products. On the other hand,
the female customers put more stress on relationship-based orientation to sexuality.
Blumberg et al. (2005) shed light on the fact that this is the reason, for which they show a
positive attitude towards sexual appeal in the advertisement at the time, when they found
value to the emotional intimacy. Thus, it can be said that the female show positive attitude
towards sexual appeal in the advertisement at the time, when the value of emotional intimacy
is communicated to them.
On the other hand, Cavusgill et al. (2008) showed that male consumers are more
inclined towards recreational sex. Thus, they prefer nudity in the advertisement. From the
data analysis, it is evident that the response towards using sex appeal in the advertisement is
different among male customers than that of the female customers. It has been observed that
in the year 2011, Asia was the largest skincare market around the world with 43% market
share. Also, Thailand is the largest advertisement industry in the Asia Pacific region, in
which the range of advertisements is increasing rapidly. As per the perception of Chaudhuri
and Majumdar (2006) Thailand is also the center of a luxury fashion brand with a larger
market. Due to the nature of the market, the demand among customers for luxury brands is
increasing rapidly. It has been observed from the primary research that using sex appeal in
the advertisement is the matter of controversy for several decades. Using sex appeal in the
advertisement is closely associated with that of the connotation such as the depreciation and
objectification of women and its impact on the unrealistic body image. However, Chadha and
Husband (2006) contradicted on the ground that it is a widely admitted fact that sexual appeal
can have a larger visual impact on the minds of the customers and acting as the greatest
marketing tool in contemporary times.
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Christians et al. (1991) opined that the feeling towards sexual appeal in the
advertisement among males is different from that of the female. According to the female
respondents, it is not uncomfortable to see the sexual appeal in the advertisement as they
think that it is the job of the models to look good. Cheung et al. (2013) started that the rapid
development of social media is acting as a driving force behind such prompt development of
sexual appeal in the advertisement. Social media has made it common among the customers
to see nudity and sex appeal in the advertisement of wide ranges of products such as luxury
goods, cars, clothing, technology, or gaming. Still, Cohan (2001) argued on the ground that
some of the people feel weird to see the sexual appeal in the advertisement. It is the general
perception among these respondents that sometimes, the sex appeal is used in completely
different categories and irrelevant products. At the same time, these people also believe that
using sexual appeal in the advertisement can hamper the emotional stability and wellbeing of
the children. On the contrary, Christy (2006) observed that the female consumer believes that
the companies are only using the sexual appeal in terms of promoting their products and
services and there is no question of discomfort in this. On the other hand, Cui et al. (2009)
said that female customers feel highly discomfort-able by seeing the sexual appeal in the
advertisement. If the women are being objectified in the advertisement, it generates a
negative attitude among female customers (Farrar et al. 2003).
At the same time, the female customers have also raised the concern that the children
should not be allowed to see such advertisement which contains nudity or sexual appeal. At
the same time, women customers also feel uncomfortable to see that kind of advertisement,
which is solely using women for the sake of catching the attention of men. It is evident from
the primary research that the women customers do not show a negative attitude towards the
advertisement containing sexual appeal, rather they feel ashamed and uncomfortable to see
such advertisement. Csikszenmihalyi et al. (1991) observed that it is the perception among
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the female respondents that the depreciation of women in the advertisement is negligible as
the activists are promoting their products solely for gender equality. On the other hand,
D'Arcy (1990) perceived that it is the perception among both the male and female
respondents that both the nudity and sexual appeal in the advertisement is entirely dependent
on the theme or context due to the fact that nudity does not always signifies the fact that the
men or women are being objectified.
Dahl et al. (2009) stated that the successful and timely completion of any research is
entirely dependent on the research methodology as it supports researching systematically. To
carry out the research effectively, a comprehensive research approach has been executed. By
working in the fashion industry, the researcher has acquired significant experience regarding
the role of sexual appeal in promoting the products and services in contemporary times. To
carry out the primary research, the researcher has implemented an interpretive approach.
From the observation of De Barnierand Valette-Florence (2006), it is evident that this is the
way, through which the entire process of carrying out the research has been reflected. The
quasi-ethnographic approach has also been implemented by the researcher in terms of
completing the research cost-effectively. With the assistance of a quasi-ethnographic
approach, the researcher has become able to organize different variables of the research
properly, which is very much needed in terms of running the research in a comprehensive
manner (Cohen et al. 2006). The research is based on analyzing the perception of Thai
fashion community towards sex appeal in the advertisement, which is largely used by the
luxury fashion brands. Thus, the application of a quasi-ethnographic approach has helped the
researcher to get rich and valuable information regarding the usage of sexual appeal in the
advertisement which is very much needed in terms of strengthening the underlying value of
the research.
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Research design is one of the most significant factors of research methodology, which
helps in researching in an organized manner. Appropriate sampling is one of the major
factors of a research as it helps in getting the first-hand experience regarding the given
subject matter. In the research, Purposive sampling has been used by the researcher in order
to select the participants, who are highly knowledgeable. Evidences are showing that in
Thailand, the people aged in between 30 to 35 are more fashion-oriented and more inclined
towards advertisement launched by the global luxury fashion brands. Crotty (1998) shaded
light ion the fact that this is the reason, for which the people, aged in this group gas been
chosen as the sample to collect the primary data. Besides, the inductive research approach has
been chosen as the research method. It has served the researcher with the ability to align the
theories and associated framework, which is the key to strengthening the value of the
research. With the assistance of this approach, the researcher has become able to gain
significant knowledge regarding the perception among the Thai fashion community towards
the trend of using sexual appeal in an advertisement in the context of luxury fashion brands
(Rajan 2019). Also, inductive research approach has also been used by the researcher.
Easterby-Smith et al. (2015) said that with the assistance of this research approach, the
researcher has become able to proceed with the research effectively by relying on the existing
concepts and theoretical frameworks. This research approach has allowed the researcher to
use associated theoretical frameworks in order to interpret the collected data. The researcher
has used qualitative method due to the nature of the research along with the relationship in
between the researcher with that of the perceptions, outlooks and assumptions. With the
assistance of qualitative research method, the researcher has become able to accomplish the
fundamental research goal (Remenyi et al. 1998).
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2.1 How Thai people in the fashion industry perceived the use of sex appeal in the
advertisement of international luxury brands and how this could affect the
luxury brands?
It has been observed that Thailand is the hub of luxury fashion brands with numerous
ranges of highly fashionable customers. Also, Dawn et al. (2006) said that the purchasing
power of the customers of this country is extremely high. The trend of using sexual appeal in
advertisement can indeed be significantly seen in Western countries. However, this trend is
also increasing in the Asia Pacific nations. It is important to note here that in recent years, the
luxury good market in Thailand is increasing rapidly. However, de Pelsmacker and Geuens
(1998) stressed on the fact that the perception among the Thai community towards using sex
appeal in advertising the luxury fashion brands is different from male to that of the female
customers.
It has been observed that male customers do not feel ashamed to see nudity and sex
appeal in the advertisement. Denscombe (2007) commented that these people think that it is
the job of the models to look good and the companies are using sexual appeal in the
advertisement solely for promoting their products. However, as opined by DeBarnierand
Valette-Florence (2006) some of the male customers also think that using sexual and
provocative advertisements can generate negative attitudes among the minds of the
customers. In the same way, the female respondents have also shown that advertisements
with sexual appeal sometimes; negatively portray women. This is the reason for which they
show a negative attitude towards sexually appealing advertisements. At the same time, the
female consumers have also raised the concern that sexually appealing advertisement can
hamper the emotional wellbeing of the children. Therefore, they should not be allowed to see
such an advertisement. Such a contradicting attitude in the Thai fashion community is making
it difficult for companies to implement a comprehensive promotional strategy. Moreover,
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Dittmar(1994) stated that most of the female customers also perceive that most of the
advertisements containing sexual and provocative messages are intern depreciating the value
of the women, which is utterly a great threat towards maintaining value in the society.
2.2 What types of products are suitable and unsuitable for sex appeal advertising
and why?
As discussed by Duboisand Paternault (1995) the trend of using sex appeal in
promoting the products is increasing rapidly because most of the companies believe that
promoting products or services in this manner is a great way of keeping the customers
attracted. However, it has been reported that excessive usage of sexual appeal in the
advertisement is sometimes leading the companies to use such advertisement. For instance,
sunglass is one of the most popular products in contemporary times. Dyer (1995) commented
that most of the companies are using sex appeal to promote sunglasses, which is irrelevant as
the customers prefer to see the specification and features of sunglasses rather than
provocative and appealing message.
In the same way, using sexual appeal in promoting perfumes is also highly
inappropriate as the consumers are more likely to taste the smell of the perfumes rather than
nudity or appealing message. On the other hand, Dubihlelaand Dubihlela (2011) counter-
argued by saying that products like bags, accessories, and garments are highly suitable for
using sexually appealing advertisement because in such products, the customers like to see
the physical specifications and features.
2.3 What are the implications of sex appeal advertising for the Thai fashion
industry and for society in general from an industry insider perspective?
It is true that the trend of using sexual appeal in the way of promoting the products
and services is increasing rapidly. Conversely, it can have a critical impact on society. It is
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imperative to note in this context the fundamental aim of the companies behind using the
sexual appeal in the advertisement is to keep the customers attracted. Dianouxand Linhart
(2010) showed that in the contemporary times, this is one of the most common types of
appealing in the advertisement, which is making it easy for companies to attract wide ranges
of customers. The inclusion of sex appeal is helping the companies to accelerate the
effectiveness of the commercials which is very much needed in terms of catching the
attraction of the customers. Thus, it can be said that advertising with the sexual appeal can
have a firm impact on increasing the consumption of the products (Dudley1999).
Still, the inclusion of sexual appeal in the advertisement is utterly a great threat
towards protecting the emotional wellbeing of the children. Showing sexual appeal in the
advertisement can result in the sexualization of children at a very early age. This is a great
threat towards the young girl as Thailand has a very bad public image as here people,
belonging from the foreign countries, enjoy having a sexual orientation with young girls.
Besides, Eisend et al. (2014) also said that sexual appeal in the advertisement can also hurt
teenagers as the feeling of looking like the model may be generated among them. This can
result in malnutrition among them as such feeling can affect their eating habit. Sex in
advertising is acting as one of the most significant marketing tools in the contemporary times,
which is playing a critical role for the companies to attract wide ranges of customers
(Eeastman et al. 1997).
3. Scope for future research:
This research is based on analyzing the perception of Thai community towards using
sexual appeal in the advertisement is to promote the luxury fashion brands. This topic of the
research is the matter of utmost importance as it supports in understanding the role of
contemporary marketing tools to catch the attention of the customers. Any research based on
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