Sex still sells - but to who?

Unfortunately for me, I was not aware that I had a workshop to host and therefore my attire was completely inappropriate. Like many female entrepreneurs, I have a wardrobe in the office, so I quickly changed into something more appropriate. 

I selected a dress that didn't need ironing and was corporate but a bit of fun.

When I walked out into the main office area, a few of the young woman in the office commented on the length of the dress. It is short. On top of that, I have skinny legs so it looks like the dress is twice as short.

We all laughed at the fact that as we looked around a few of the other girls in the office had short dresses and skirts on. We are in marketing so dressing for work is a little more liberal. Only one person is in the area of sales in our Melbourne office and she coincidentally had a more appropriate length dress on. 

But this banter about our dresses made me think: does sex still sell?

If you read the Business Insider article (which is quite good might I add) that clarifies the matter based on their research, sex doesn't sell. But I beg to differ. 

I am sure in our business, it doesn't anymore, but it once did. If you are comparing apples with apples; same qualifications, same creativity, same professionalism, sound personality - who would you pick? Quite possibly, statistics show that you would pick the better looking one. It's human nature.

When they launch drink brands, they don't do so with unattractive people, they do it with ridiculously good looking, appealing people - afterall, that's what we like seeing. My friend Russell Lipton owns Beyond Coconut Water, a healthy drink that has expanded internationally at a ridiculous speed. He is uber successful, and if you look back on his Instagram account, and other social media platforms that he uses, there is not one unattractive person holding his drink. He has utilised celebrity and attractive people in lifestyle shots throughout all of his marketing. It has worked wonders.

Victoria Secret is another brand that comes to mind when thinking about whether sex sells. Women want to look sexy - or at least according to the sales results and number of viewers watching the annual Victoria Secret show.

Kim Kardashian posts selfies of herself in procative poses, naming showing off her breasts and booty. She then goes and puts her name to everything and anything. Clearly she would not be paid the millions that she receives each year, if it were not for her 'sexy' brand.

Psychology Today did an article a few years back about whether or not sex sells and like most marketers realise, it really depends on what you are selling. What do you think? Does sex sell or is the market smarter than that?