Do Sex and Violence Sell? The Effects of Violent Advertisements, Sexual Programs, and Program/Advertisement Congruity on Brand Memory, Brand Attitudes, and Product Selection

Conventional wisdom has suggested that sex and violence sell products. However, a meta-analysis found the opposite: brands advertised in violent programs were remembered less often, evaluated less favorably, and less likely to be purchased than brands advertised in nonviolent media (Lull & Bushman, in press). Likewise, brands advertised using sexual ads were evaluated less favorably than brands advertised using nonsexual ads. These meta-analytic findings were interpreted according to the evolution and emotional arousal framework, which states that people are evolutionarily predisposed to attend to emotionally arousing cues such as violence and sex, and that violent and sexual cues therefore occupy more attentional resources than nonviolent and nonsexual cues.;The following two studies were designed to fill gaps revealed by the previous meta-analysis. Compared to brand memory, there have been few studies addressing brand attitudes and buying intentions. Compared to violent programs and sexual advertisements, there have been few studies addressing the effects of violent advertisements and sexual programs. Only a few studies have examined program/ad congruity, or whether matching program content with ad content (e.g., congruent = violent ad in violent program; incongruent = violent ad in nonviolent program) influences advertising outcomes. Therefore two studies were proposed to address these gaps and examine whether established findings replicated.;In Study 1, online participants (N = 195) were exposed to either a violent or nonviolent edit of the television program Rome. A commercial break featuring five filler advertisements and one "target" advertisement was inserted during the program. Half of the participants saw a violent commercial and half of the participants saw a nonviolent commercial. After viewing the commercials and the remainder of the program, participants completed a variety of measures, including brand memory, brand attitudes, and product selection. Contrary to predictions, only one significant effect was found: participants who viewed incongruent programs/ads were more likely to recall the target brand than participants who viewed congruent programs/ads.;In Study 2, online participants (N = 216) were exposed to either a sexual or nonsexual edit of the television program Rome. A commercial break featuring the same five filler advertisements as Study 1 and one distinct target advertisement was inserted during the program. Half of the participants saw a sexual commercial and half of the participants saw a nonsexual commercial. After viewing the commercials and the remainder of the program, participants completed the same measures as in Study 1. Contrary to predictions, brands advertised in sexual programs were more likely to be recalled and recognized than brands advertised in nonsexual programs, and brands advertised using sexual ads were more likely to be recalled than brands advertised using nonsexual ads. Likewise, participants who viewed incongruent programs/ads evaluated brands more favorably than participants who viewed congruent programs/ads.;Overall, the results suggest minimal support for the evolution and emotional arousal framework. Alternative explanations are proposed; among those, it is acknowledged that target commercials were humorous, and therefore humor may have been a critical confound in both studies. Potential limitations are discussed and avenues for future research are proposed.