This study extends prior research on sexual appeal advertising by developing a model of consumer responses to explicit sexual stimuli conveyed through different expressive styles (artistic versus provocative). A between-subjects experimental design (N=369) was conducted. The theoretical model includes ad-, brand- and behaviour-related variables. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the hypothesized relationships. Findings reveal that the use of an artistic format stimulates a better response than the use of images in merely provocative poses. From a female consumer perspective, all paths were positive and significant when exposed to the artistic nudity stimuli, with the only exception of the positive emotions-purchase intention relationship. Results suggest a moderating role of the mode of representing sexual images on attitude-intention relationships. From a male consumer perspective, the response was similar, but any effect was present between attitude towards the advertisement and purchase intention. Support was found for a moderating influence of expressive styles on positive emotion-attitude towards the brand relationship. The paper sheds new lights on the way explicit sexual stimuli can be represented, offering a contribution to improving the communication effectiveness of products and brands that exploit sexual stimuli.

Consumer Responses to Explicit Sexual Stimuli in Advertising: Artistic vs Provocative Style / Tedeschi, Marcello; Luceri, Beatrice; Latusi, Sabrina; Tania Vergura, Donata; Zerbini, Cristina. - In: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS RESEARCH. - ISSN 1913-9004. - 11:1(2018), pp. 102-114. [10.5539/ibr.v11n1p102]

Consumer Responses to Explicit Sexual Stimuli in Advertising: Artistic vs Provocative Style

Marcello Tedeschi
;
2018

Abstract

This study extends prior research on sexual appeal advertising by developing a model of consumer responses to explicit sexual stimuli conveyed through different expressive styles (artistic versus provocative). A between-subjects experimental design (N=369) was conducted. The theoretical model includes ad-, brand- and behaviour-related variables. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the hypothesized relationships. Findings reveal that the use of an artistic format stimulates a better response than the use of images in merely provocative poses. From a female consumer perspective, all paths were positive and significant when exposed to the artistic nudity stimuli, with the only exception of the positive emotions-purchase intention relationship. Results suggest a moderating role of the mode of representing sexual images on attitude-intention relationships. From a male consumer perspective, the response was similar, but any effect was present between attitude towards the advertisement and purchase intention. Support was found for a moderating influence of expressive styles on positive emotion-attitude towards the brand relationship. The paper sheds new lights on the way explicit sexual stimuli can be represented, offering a contribution to improving the communication effectiveness of products and brands that exploit sexual stimuli.
2018
12-gen-2018
11
1
102
114
Consumer Responses to Explicit Sexual Stimuli in Advertising: Artistic vs Provocative Style / Tedeschi, Marcello; Luceri, Beatrice; Latusi, Sabrina; Tania Vergura, Donata; Zerbini, Cristina. - In: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS RESEARCH. - ISSN 1913-9004. - 11:1(2018), pp. 102-114. [10.5539/ibr.v11n1p102]
Tedeschi, Marcello; Luceri, Beatrice; Latusi, Sabrina; Tania Vergura, Donata; Zerbini, Cristina
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1150380
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