Does sex really sell? Not as much as humour…
The layman’s belief that sex sells has evidently been disproven in a new study by Adobe and Edelman Berland, which has found that consumers believe funny advertising content is more effective than the overtly sexy or raunchy.
The report also supported recent independent findings elsewhere that online adverts are viewed as “annoying, distracting and invasive”.
It also found that whilst 95% of Australians said advertising does have an impact on them, 69% said peer-to-peer product recommendations had the greatest impact on purchasing decisions.
Adobe’s Australian and New Zealand managing director Paul Robson said the rise of wifi and mobile devices fuelled the increased value of recommendations.
“The explosion of mobile devices means people are connected all the time, and wherever they are. It also means people are likely to share more about themselves through public forums and social media than ever before,” he said.
“The question people need to consider is how much information they are comfortable sharing publicly in order to receive products and services that are more relevant to their needs.”