Blog 9

Absolut has a history of highly sexual print ads. The most persuasive ad, in my opinion, illustrates a naked man with an Absolut bottle in front of his private area with the caption “Absolut Hunk.” The man in the ad is VERY attractive and has all the “ideal” qualities of a certified “hottie.” He has long blonde hair, chiseled abs, and a perfect face. This model was definitely strategically chosen in order to have girls gawk over him. The Absolut ad is effective because it persuades its audience that if they buy and drink Absolut, they will find or have a guy that is as perfect as the model pictured in the ad. Or, if the audience is a male, they will buy the product in hopes to be just as attractive as the depicted model.

This Absolut ad is a prime example of the sex appeal. Sex appeal is the type of advertising appeal that has been and forever will be an effective advertising tool. Sex appeal generates attention because of its scandal. It makes an ad stand out in all the clutter. Because humans are inherently sexual, they are very attracted to ads with sex appeal. Sex appeal ads, most often than not, show a lot of skin or depict steamy sexual situations. They are effective because people have the natural tendency to long for sexual intimacy that these ads imply. People then assume the product being advertised with the sex appeal will help them satisfy their sexual desire and will go out and purchase the product. This type of advertising tool is so effective because it harnesses a natural human instinct and uses it to its advantage to sell a product.

The “Absolut Hunk” advertisement exemplifies sex appeal. The model is barely shy of full nudity, which immediately attracts the eye of the audience. This gives the ad and advantage because it makes it stand out from the clutter of other ads. It also instigates a sexual desire from the audience. Females wish they could be with a man just like the model, while males wish they could look like the model in order to get women. This ad is highly sexual because of the partial nudity and the sexual tension it creates. Absolut embodied the perfect sex appeal with their “Aboslut Hunk” advertisement.