Does sex sell?
New in the 'it's what we always thought but it's nice to have the research' department is a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Consumer Research suggesting that "an attractive model can actually negatively influence product perception if the model is irrelevant to the quality of the product and the consumer had a very high interest in the product to begin with."
Professor Paul Herr from University of Colorado explains: "Whether people are persuaded by spokespeople in advertisements depends on their ability and motivation to think about the relation between the spokesperson and the advertised product. When consumers are either unable or unwilling to consider the spokesperson's credibility, they rely on the spokesperson's attractiveness."
"When consumers are focused on the ad and they believe their thinking to be unduly influenced by something about the spokesperson (other than that spokesperson's credible product claims), attractive spokespeople may be less persuasive than relatively unattractive spokespeople," writes the author.
In other words, though she may very well be an expert, a woman in a bikini does not seem credible as an authority on computer processing speed. A consumer concerned primarily with the quality and features of the computer may suspect the undue influence of the model on his/her perception and compensate with a negative judgement.
So what does this mean to you? Does it mean pretty faces should be excluded from your marketing communications (marcom)? Not at all. As we've always advocated, people need to be relevant. A good looking woman in a bikini might be appropriate if you are selling bikinis, swimming pools or outdoor furniture.
But don't let the pendulum swing too far. An attractive person positioned in your marcom visuals is still preferable, because an 'ordinary' looking person will often be notably unattractive when presented in print and on screen. In short, be sensible and make it believable. Common sense is once again backed up by research.
Get more headlines every month - Subscribe to 7 Seconds
