Skip to content
  • Digital Marketing
International Branding Online

International Branding Online

International Branding Blog – Conneting brands to the universe

  • xfinity Speed Test
  • Free Job Posting in Dubai
  • Web Design Dubai
  • Coconut Cream
  • Saffron
  • Dubai Offers
  • Toggle search form
  • Designing the Brand Experience: From First Exposure To Advocate To Relationship Branding
  • 6 Step SEO Guide for Local Accounting Firms Branding
  • meeting overload, hybrid work, and asynchronous communication Branding
  • The Six-Step Creative Process Of A Fashion Icon Branding
  • Aim For Brand Relevance Not Surveillance Branding
  • Humanizing AI, Automation, Robotics, and the Future of Business Branding
  • Press: McDonald’s Launches a Whole New Kind of Restaurant Branding
  • Lifecycle of Social Media Branding

Retro Brand Imagery with Sexual Overtones

Posted on January 7, 2021 By aathif No Comments on Retro Brand Imagery with Sexual Overtones

 

I was spending time at my Adirondack home last week and stopped by this Lake Placid wine and spirit shop to pick up some wine for the week. That’s when I noticed their shop sign. It immediately took me back to vintage ads with sexual overtones that are now unacceptable. The sign depicts a woman with lots of leg showing sitting on a champagne bottle that has just exploded. Maybe this sign was created as an attempt at tongue-in-cheek humor or to be retro but it seems quite obvious in its intent and I was surprised to see it. 
As I was researching the vintage ads with similar sexual overtones, I was also surprised to discover other more modern ads with the same overtones. This Burger King ad ran in the city-state of Singapore in the first half of 2009. I really can’t believe that they would run such an ad, but they did. Having come from a corporate background, I began to imagine how many approvals this ad must have gone through before it was released. 
And here is a recent ad from a Premier Estate Wine in Australia. It was ultimately banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for being ‘degrading and offensive.’
While sex is a primal human instinct that can motivate at a deeply emotional level, these ads objectify women and are in poor taste. Tobacco and alcoholic beverage companies have been the worst offenders over time, but they are not the only ones. These types of ads used to be fair game for brands in any product category. For instance, this is a lipstick ad. 
I have advised several brands that they can do better than using sex to sell their products. There are many other equally compelling approaches that can be used that don’t reinforce sexual fantasies or objectify women. I am still surprised when I see examples of humanity not transcending its most basic instincts to embrace more lofty motivators. I embrace human sexuality, just not so much in advertising these days. 
Here are some other blog posts that identify other human motivators that can be used in advertising:
  • Marketing and the Deep Understanding of Human Behavior
  • Giving People What They Long For
  • Core Human Needs and Marketing
  • Marketing to Human Needs

I didn’t intend to be offensive in this blog post, but rather to highlight an advertising approach that I had thought was firmly in our past. 

PS – Here is one other vintage ad from a famous global brand that a reader brought to my attention. 

 

Branding

Post navigation

Previous Post: Pretend Your Brand Has Died…
Next Post: Trump Brand

Related Posts

  • Iconic Brands Are Built With Opportunity Branding
  • The Undeniable Value Of Core Customers Branding
  • Aperol Branding
  • 5 Ways Brands Can Stay Competitive In A Recession Branding
  • Leveraging Consumer Identity For Brand Advantage Branding
  • THE TOP 5 REGRETS OF THE DYING Branding

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Why LifeSCALE Should Be On Your Spring Reading List
  • Futurist Keynote Speaker Brian Solis to Explore the Future of Marketing and Customer Experience at Digital Summit
  • Brian Solis Headlines Brand Week Istanbul: Being Human in the 21st Century
  • How to Remain a Leading-Edge Marketer Throughout Your Career
  • CNN Türk: Şirketteki değişimi siz başlatın – You ignite the change within the company

International Branding Blog - The best branding blog | Articles on brand strategy, terminology, design, exceptional brands, and interviews.

  • xfinity Speed Test
  • Free Job Posting in Dubai
  • Web Design Dubai
  • Coconut Cream
  • Saffron
  • Dubai Offers
  • De Tijd: ‘Decentraler internet komt er, maar moet eerst door fase van desillusie’ Branding
  • Why Copy Is Critical for Successful Marketing (And How to Get Started) Branding
  • The Age Of The Sustainable Brand Branding
  • Brand Strategy For Small Business Branding
  • Meta Needs Brand Basics To Win Branding
  • Vodafone Branding
  • Rebranding Case Study: Moving Multiple Brands To One Branding
  • McKinsey: A CEO’s guide to the metaverse Branding

International Branding Blog - The best branding blog | Articles on brand strategy, terminology, design, exceptional brands, and interviews. Copyright © 2022 International Branding Online.

Powered by PressBook News Dark theme