Dressed or Naked? The Influence of Nudity on Attitude towards Ads

Abstract

If ads are to achieve their goal of influencing consumers, it is important that consumers’ attitude towards them is positive. In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the use of sexual appeal in advertising, all from vague hints and ambiguity, to provocative content and nudity. Previous studies on the influence of such appeal on attitude towards ads have shown conflicting results and most of them have focused on ads where female models are used. This study was intended to address the inconsistency in previous studies and lack of studies including male models. The purpose was to investigate the effects of nudity on participants’ attitude towards ads, both when the model is female and when it is male. A 2 (dressed vs. nude) x 2(male model vs. female model) experimental design was applied. Participants (n = 1349) were shown ads that contained either a naked model or a dressed model, either male or female, and were than asked questions regarding their attitude towards the ad. The results indicate that nudity has a negative impact on attitude towards ads, both in case of a male model and a female model. This negative effect applies to both female and male participants, but the attitudes of female participants are particularly negative in the case of a nude female model. Advertisers are therefore advised against using nudity in ads to attract consumer attention, especially if the target audience is women.