Sex appeal advertising: Gender differences in Chinese consumers’ responses

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

Volumn 18, Issue 1, 2006, Pages 19-28

  Liu, Fang ^a   li, Jianyao ^a   Cheng, Hong ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

^b OHIO UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Advertising effectiveness; China; Consumers; Sex and gender issues

Indexed keywords

EID: 34249996811     PISSN: 13555855     EISSN: 17584248     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1108/13555850610641064     Document Type: Article

References (38)

1. Anne, C. (1971), “Sexual promotion can motivate, distract, alienate or liberate”, Advertising and Sales Promotion, Vol. 19 No. 10 pp. 52.
2. Bello, D.C., Etzel, M.J. and Pits, R.E. (1983), “The communication effects of controversial sexual content in television programs and commercials”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 3 No. 12, pp. 32-42.
3. Bhat, S., Leigh, T.W. and Wardlow, D.L. (1998), “The effect for consumer prejudices on ad processing: heterosexual consumers’ responses to homosexual imagery in ads”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 9-17.
4. Brown, D. (2002), “ITC slams Vodafone ads following complaints about sexual content”, Marketing Week, September 19, p. 10.
5. Bumler, J. (1999), “Sex appeal in advertising”, available at: www.people.virginia.edu/∼jab4bx/assignments/PaperIII.html (accessed 15 April 2004).
6. Carnell, B. (2002), “China's bizarre ban on condom advertising”, available at: www.overpopulation.com/articles/2002/000003.html (accessed 6 October 2005).
7. China Daily (2004), “China 2003 top 10 sex news”. available at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/16/content_1316264.htm (accessed 6 October 2005).
8. China Daily (2005), “Embracing Western ways while cleaving to tradition”, available at: http://english.people.com.cn/200501/21/eng20050121_171463.html (accessed 6 October 2005).
9. Costa, J. (1994), Gender Issues and Consumer Behaviour, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA.
10. Courtney, A. and Whipple, T. (1983), Sex Stereotyping in Advertising, Lexington Books, Canada.
11. Garrett, A. (1993), “The ploy of sex”, Marketing Week, Vol. 16 No. 7, pp. 28-32.
12. Grazer, William F. and Keesling, G. (1995), “The effect of print advertising's use of sexual themes on brand recall and purchase intention: a product specific investigation of male responses”, Journal of Applied Business Research, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 47-58.
13. Gould, S. (1994), “Sexuality and ethics in advertising: a research agenda and policy guideline perspective”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 73-79.
14. Hair, J.F. Jr., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L. and Black, W.C. (1998), Multivariate Data Analysis. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cuffs, NJ.
15. Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. (2001), Consumer Behaviour, 2nd edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
16. Judd, B.B. and Alexander, M.W. (1983), “On the reduced effectiveness of some sexually suggestive ads”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 156-68.
17. La Tour, M.S. and Henthorne, T.L. (1994), “Ethical judgments of sexual appeals in print advertising”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 81-91.
18. La Tour, M.S., Pitts, R.E. and Snook-Luther, D.C. (1990), “Female nudity, arousal, and ad response: an experimental investigation”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 51-62.
19. Lee, Y.H. (2000), “Manipulating ad message involvement through information expectancy: effects of attitude evaluation and confidence”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 29 No. 2, pp. 29-42.
20. Lin, C.A. (1998), “Uses of sex appeal in prime-time television commercials”, Sex Roles, Vol. 38 No. 5/6, pp. 461-75.
21. Liu, L.B., Ding, J.J. and Huang, S.M. (2005), China Advertising Works Yearbook. Communication University of China Press, Beijing.
22. Marcom, B. (2004), “Sex appeal in Chinese advertising”, Danwei, Media, Advertising, and Urban Life in China, available at: www.danwei.org/archives/000810.html (accessed 6 October 2005).
23. People's Daily (2003), “China's sexual revolution: CNN report”, available at: http://english.people.com.cn/200311/12/eng20031112_128118.shtml (accessed 6 October 2005).
24. People's Daily (2005), “Stars pose naked against breast cancer”. available at: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200509/27/eng20050927_211225.html (accessed 6 October 2005).
25. Pollay, R.W. (1986), “The distorted mirror: reflections on the unintended consequences of advertising”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 50 No. 2, pp. 18-36.
26. Price, H. (2002), “Sex and advertising: an ‘organic’ experience”, available at: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f02/web2/hprice.html (accessed 23 April, 2005).
27. Reichert, T., Heckler, S.E. and Jackson, S. (2001), “The effects of sexual social marketing appeals on cognitive processing and persuasion”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 13-27.
28. Reid, L.N. and Soley, L.C. (1981), “Another look at the “decorative” female model: the recognition of visual and verbal ad components”, Leigh, J.H. and Martin, C.R. (eds), Current Issues and Research in Advertising, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, pp. 122-33.
29. Richmond, D. and Timothy, P.H. (1982), “Sex appeal in advertising”, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 53.
30. Saunders, D. (1996), Sex in Advertising, BT Batsford Ltd, Singapore.
31. Shanghai Star (2004a), “Adult sex toy expo touches sensitive area”, available at: http://english.people.com.cn/200408/08/eng20040808_152209.html (accessed 6 October 2005).
32. Shanghai Star (2004b), “Premarital sex: is abstinence the best policy?”, available at: http://english.people.com.cn/200409/06/eng20040906_156066.html (accessed 6 October 2005).
33. Severn, J., Belch, G.E. and Belch, M.A. (1990), “The effects of sexual and non-sexual advertising appeals and information level on cognitive processing and communication effectiveness”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 14-22.
34. Steadman, M. (1969), “How sexy illustrations affect brand recall”, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 15-19.
35. Stewart, D.W. and Furse, D.H. (2000), “Analysis of the impact of executional factors on advertising performance”, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 40 No. 6, pp. 85-88.
36. Taflinger, R. (1996), “Taking advantage-you and me, babe: sex and advertising”, available at: www.wsu.edu:8080/-taflinge/sex.html (accessed 29 April 2004).
37. H.C., Susan Tai (1999), “Advertising ethics: the use of sexual appeal in Chinese advertising”, Teaching Business Ethics, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 87-100.
38. Yovovich, B.G. (1983), “Sex in advertising: the power and the perils”, Advertising Age, Vol. 54 No. 19, pp. 12-15.