Ad campaigns may seem a dime a dozen, and that may never seem truer than in the age of the Internet, but when it comes to effective marketing there is an old adage that stands true to this day: Sex sells. These 12 ad campaigns are all perfect testament to the old saying, and they set themselves apart from the white noise of blander advertising by taking the naughtier route. Parents and feminists may hate them, but there’s no doubt that they work.
PETA
PETA, as an organization, is sure to make headlines at least once a year for bad behavior, and usually the sort that converts men to the leafy lifestyle. The 2009 Super Bowl was no exception, and the girls of PETA hit the Internet hard when their proposed ad was declined and subsequently banned from television by NBC. As you can see in the video, it’s no ordinary pro-vegetable commercial — and NBC didn’t mince words when telling PETA why it wouldn’t air. Among other things, NBC execs said that in order for the ad to have a chance at running, it would have to lose the segments that showed a woman “rubbing her pelvic region with a pumpkin,” “licking” said pumpkin, “licking an eggplant,” “rubbing asparagus on her breast,” and, of course, the part with a woman “screwing herself with broccoli.” Despite NBC’s efforts, no less than half the Internet watched the video anyway.Calvin Klein
Durex
Guinness
Guiness isn’t usually known for taking the overwhelmingly sexual route in its advertising campaigns, but there’s an exception for everything. This ad is so unbelievably brazen, raunchy, and direct, that it has the effect of paralyzing the watcher until it’s over — whether the viewer actually likes it or not. When it comes down to it, women are likely to stare in horror and disgust, while men tend to stare in hopes that it doesn’t end so quickly.Axe
Axe, known for its ad-shenanigans and exploiting the male sex-drive, has to have the funniest addition to this list. First popping up in January of this year on YouTube, the ad features two undeniably hot women who seem to want nothing more than to help men clean their balls — their sporting balls. It’s basically two and a half minutes of non-stop innuendo and dirty ball-jokes. The ad was meant to sell what is more or less nothing more than a luffa mounted on rubber, but it’s not the cleaning tool that guys are watching when this video is playing.Levi’s
Levi’s has been awfully quiet for the last few months, but this ad has proven to be enough to hold us over until the next over-the-top campaign of denim-laced promiscuity comes to fruition. This ad shows what is apparently the sexiest rendition of American hipsteresque debauchery — and instead of selling jeans, seems to sell the adventurous idea of picking up a complete stranger and using a strange family’s apartment for a quickie. Sounds good to us, since a brand like Levi’s hardly needs any help selling jeans.
Lovemachine Condoms
Condoms, unlike most things, are quite difficult to market without using sex, but it’s a fact that some companies are better at making condoms sexy than others. Lovemachine Condoms happen to be one of the best, and they made that clear when they began their “take longer, give longer” campaign. The ads all involve exquisitely sexy girls in a compromising position, and some form of subtle joke that hints at the idea of lasting longer in bed. This one is the best of them all; from the ridiculously hot figure of the girl, to the obvious “sex sweat” forming on the small of her back, to the way she’s clenching the sheets beneath her — this is one hot ad.
Aniela
Lorgan’s
Nikon
Nikon doesn’t usually dabble in the sexy ad-business, but when it decides to do something, it does it well. This ad for the S60 point and shoot was meant to convey the simple but potent message that the camera “detects up to 12 faces.” There were several ads run simultaneously, both in print and online format, but this one was the winner by far since it was the only one that included scantily-clad young women on a bed. What people usually fail to notice are the 5 other faces in the background of the picture — look closely.
Burger King
Forrest & Bob
