Super sexy! Sex sells on Super Bowl Sunday - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Humans are hardwired for sexuality, and we’ve always been instinctively interested in sensual content and images. While it’s true that sexy men and women have been depicted throughout history, some credit the expression ”Sex Sells” to Edward Bernays, an Austrian-American who, in 1929, created a campaign for Lucky Strike cigarettes that featured women models smoking what he called “torches of freedom.” The campaign sparked a movement that made it legal for women to smoke in public. These were literally smoking hot ladies who melted the male lawmakers’ hearts, and gave women aspiration that they too could be sexy if they lit up and puffed away. The Lucky Strike campaign was a major influence on advertising, making it okay for any product to be sold with sexuality in order to create both aspiration and desire.

Sex on Sunday

Even in the early days there were sexy Super Bowl ads. Joe Namath “got creamed” by Farrah Faucett in an early 70’s Noxzema Super Bowl spot.

While it lacked the exposed flesh of today’s ads, featuring one of the era’s most beloved pin-up girls was a sure fire way to gain attention. (I owned a Farrah poster as a kid; she was on the wall next to Daisy Duke.)

Since then ads have become more and more revealing, but still play to our same instincts. While Victoria’s Secret gets a nod for their Super Bowl efforts, sexy is core to their brand, so it’s not really a stretch to show underwires on parade. The modern king of blatantly using sex to sell is Carl’s Jr.

In last year’s spot, they were selling the “All Natural Burger.” So why not show a gloriously naked woman walking through a farmers’ market? Love it or hate it, you noticed it. And whether it’s riding mechanical bulls or washing cars, Carl’s Jr. will find a way to add some sexy. And maybe even a burger to go with those buns.

Hello Ladies

Old Spice and their agency Wieden+Kennedy made a brilliant move during the game in 2010. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” showed a half-naked and totally ripped man, appealing to women to buy something as mundane as soap. The perfect man in the commercial seemed to correct every misstep made by husbands and boyfriends everywhere. But it wasn’t just about the man-candy for the ladies – guys thought is was funny too, and soon after Old Spice created a large suite of content based on the “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” character.

Old Spice and their agency realized that a large portion of the Super Bowl audience was women, and women are typically the ones who shop for soap for a household. The female viewing audience for the game continues to be huge, and in 2014 Nielsen reported that 46% of the Super Bowl audience were women, and more women watched the game than the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys combined.

Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you – what is your pick for sexiest Super Bowl commercial?

Source: Google News Super Bowl Commercials