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To understand consumer reactions (both positive and negative) and some of the ethical dilemmas advertisers face from the use of sexual appeals in print advertising, we have to consider the basic concepts contained in the norma-tive ethical theories of moral philosophy. These fundamental theories can generally be categorized as either teleological or deontological (Murphy &

Laczniak, 1981). The primary difference in these two philosophies is their emphasis on the consequence (or lack thereof) of individual action.

The focus of teleological philosophies is on the consequences of individ-ual actions and behaviors in the determination of the outcomes. Teleologi-cal philosophies maintain that the individual should examine and determine the likely consequences (e.g., good or bad) of alternative ac-tions/behaviors in a specific situation. A specific action or behavior is con-sidered “ethical” if it produces the greatest balance of good versus evil when compared with all alternative actions (Hunt & Vitell, 1986).

Deontological philosophies, on the other hand, focus on specific actions of the individual without consideration of the consequences of that action.

Deontological theory states that the rightness or wrongness of actions and behaviors should be judged by the actions themselves without regard to the outcomes. Thus, deontology opposes the basis tenets of teleology (Fraedrich & Ferrell, 1992).

From a teleological standpoint, the use of sexual appeals in advertising may not be appealing to viewers and may, in fact, produce potentially nega-tive side effects (e.g., gratuitous sex or sexual obsession). Therefore, the con-sequences of using such sexual appeals in advertising, as well as the basic fundamental rightness of its use, should be of concern to all (Gould, 1994).

Keep in mind that the fundamental component in teleological theory is the amount of good or bad contained in the consequences of the act whereas the central component in deontological theory is the amount of good or bad contained in the act itself, regardless of its impact on the eventual outcome. But, is it realistic to believe that individuals make eth-ical decisions or judgments based along the strict lines of teleologeth-ical or deontological theory? No. Individuals use a blending or mixing of these philosophies when determining ethical judgments (Hunt & Vitell, 1986;

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Reidenbach & Robin, 1988). In fact, Tansey, Hyman, and Brown (1992) believed that the use of a controversial ad stimulus could evoke a wide array of related teleological- and deontological-based responses on a single dimension of ethical evaluation.

To examine these theories, we compared responses to two different high-quality black-and-white ad treatments—one containing a strong overt sexual appeal and one containing a mild sexual appeal. Each ad con-tained the brand name of the jeans at the bottom of the layout (ad treat-ments are described in Table 5.1). Our findings from this project showed that the use of a highly sexual theme in a print ad was not well received. In fact, its use was viewed as less ethically “correct” than the use of the mild sexual ad. Additionally, and maybe somewhat surprisingly, both men and women expressed serious ethical concerns about the use of the overtly sex-ual ad (LaTour & Henthorne, 1994a).

A significant gender-by-treatment interaction effect indicated that men in the explicit-treatment group had a more positive attitude toward the ad than woman. This interaction effect, however, was nonexistent for atti-tude toward the brand, purchase intention, and the perceived ethicality of the use of such ads. This finding indicates that although our society and culture may influence men to be less negative toward such stimuli ini-tially, they do appear to have underlying problems or issues with gratu-itous sexual images in advertising, which result in negative feelings about the brand, the ethicality of the use of such stimuli, and intention to pur-chase the featured product.

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TABLE 5.1

Ad Treatment Descriptions The Mild Sexual Appeal Ad

The male and female models are featured walking together out-of-doors with their arms around each other. The male model’s arm is around the shoulder of the female. The female’s arm is around the male model’s waist, under his shirt. Both models, although fully clothed, are not dressed conservatively.

Rather, both models are wearing jeans and tank tops.

The Strong Overt Sexual Appeal Ad

The male and female models are out-of-doors, clearly engaged in a sensual sexual embrace. The female model is leaning against a chain-link fence with her arms raised above her head. The female is completely unclothed, yet her lower abdomen and breasts are covered by the male model. The male model is wearing only jeans with the fly unzipped.

Note. From “Ethical judgments of sexual appeals in print advertising,” by M. S. LaTour and T. L.

Henthorne, 1994a, Journal of Advertising, 23(3), pp. 81–90. Copyright 1994 by Journal of Advertis-ing. Adapted with permission.

In a subsequent research project, we explored the structural relations of the variables tested in the previously mentioned study. Using the well-known Reidenbach-Robin (1988) multidimensional ethics scale, we determined to what to extent the reader’s judgment of the moral character of the ad (or lack thereof) affected their attitude toward the ad (Aad), their attitude toward the brand (Ab), and their purchase intention (Henthorne

& LaTour, 1995). The resulting final model reported that the lack of moral equity/relativism (LACK MOREL; see Fig. 5.5) had a strong, significant negative effect on attitude toward the ad (Aad) and a modest significant negative direct effect on purchase intention. Additionally, both brand atti-tude (Ab) and purchase intention were impacted negatively through the indirect effects of LACK MOREL. Lack of moral equity/relativism is thought to be a key ethical construct embodying elements of morality of action within a particular social context. Figure 5.5 also features another dimension, lack of contractualism (LACK CONT), which implies the vio-lation of an implicit contract.

The results of this study indicate that the use of high levels of erotic con-tent in print ads may not be perceived as morally right or culturally accept-able to viewers of these ads. While the use of such stimuli may draw additional attention to the ad, the outcome of the continued use of such high levels of erotic stimuli may, in fact, be negative. In other words (as Fig.

5.5 highlights), the perceived lack of moral equity/relativism associated

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FIG. 5.5. Final two-dimensional model outcome describing moral judgment on advertis-ing outcomes.

with the use of high levels of eroticism in print advertising appears to result in negative feelings toward the advertisement and the brand.

Findings such as those highlighted here should give advertisers consid-ering the use of high levels of erotic content in their ads reason for pause and reflection. Care must be given to determining a priori the likely reac-tion of their specific target market to proposed ads containing high levels of nudity or erotic content. Additionally, advertisers must consider the possi-ble exposure and negative impact and/or consequences to those individu-als not in their target market but who become exposed to the ad inadvertently. These possible negative social consequences to inadvertent exposure may range anywhere from perceived sex objectification (Ford &

LaTour, 1993), to perceived degradation of women (Gould, 1994), to nega-tive word of mouth (Miller, 1992).

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