The use of nudity in advertising campaigns of luxury brands: Belgian consumers' point of view

Abstract

Today, consumers are confronted every day with a multitude of advertisements, whether on television, in newspapers, or on the Internet. Digital advertising is increasingly prevalent in consumers' lives. It is not uncommon to see photos of celebrities and models in the Instagram feed. These famous models often work with the biggest luxury brands for their advertising campaigns. It is quite a challenge for companies to compete for attention in the current context, because today, consumers are overloaded with visual information and persuasive messages. In marketing, many techniques exist to create eye-catching ads. One of the most popular and effective ones is the use of nudity, which has particularly increased in recent years. Indeed, it is not without knowing that many luxury brands have, at one point, caused controversy because of their advertisements, which were considered too shocking or too provocative. Professionals are convinced that sex sells and that it is an effective technique to achieve positive results. In the luxury sector, the competition is intense and products are expensive. Creating effective ads that attract customers is therefore essential for these brands. But the use of nudity is sometimes a risky approach. It can lead to the failure of the campaign or damage the company’s name. Little is known about Belgian consumers’ perceptions. Therefore, this work aims to study the impact of the use of nudity in advertising campaigns of luxury brands on effectiveness measures, i.e. brand recall and purchase intention. The data was collected through a quantitative online survey. Results showed a significant negative impact on brand recall and purchase intention. However, the use of nudity proved itself useful in increasing the viewers’ attention, but the mediating role that attention plays between the independent variable and brand recall could not be demonstrated This work concludes with theoretical and managerial implications, followed by the limitations and suggestions for further research.