Sex to Sell Sex sells. Especially when advertisers want to sell consumer products marketed to produce pleasure, such as alcohol, erotic imagery is pervasive. An analysis of three different advertisements shows how different advertising agencies use sexuality, gender, and eroticism to peddle alcoholic beverages. Two of the three advertisements can be deemed tasteless and sexist; whereas the other one can be considered gender neutral and reveals appropriate imagery.

The first advertisement is for Bacardi Rum. It is a full-page, full-color magazine print. The image is of a woman's torso, showing her breasts to her upper thighs. Not even her hair is showing. Her button-down shirt is open to reveal an animal print bikini top. The woman pulls down her jeans with her right thumb, to reveal animal print bikini bottoms. Her left hand holds a glass of rum and coke. The tagline reads, "Pussy cat by day. Bacardi by night."

The second advertisement is for a product called Bacardi O. The full-page color ad features the letter "O" as a frame for the...

The man is barely visible within the frame, which features the female more prominently. The blonde woman has a coy look, and she delicately touches her painted fingernails to her lips as she gazes seductively at the viewer. A martini glass rim forms the diameter of the oval, which is pierced by the phallic form of the Bacardi O. bottle. The lip of the Bacardi O. bottle reaches to the lips of the woman, giving the clear impression of fellatio.
The third advertisement is for Jameson Irish Whiskey. In this full-page color magazine advertisement, half the page is taken up with a photo of a group of friends sitting in an outdoor cafe in the evening. The group is mixed, including two men and two women. The bottom half of the page is green and the text reads, "Rush Hour Chicago." At the bottom, the tagline reads, "What's the rush?"

These three advertisements show how different brands use sexuality in their marketing. Bacardi has gone so far as to brand a product "O," which is a…