Marketers all around the world have long argued whether shock advertising based on sexuality should be used. Give your opinion.

A 2007 survey discovered that a typical consumer could name only 2. 21% of the commercials they had ever encountered (Lindstrom, 2008), which is one of the innumerable examples illustrating the fierce competition of embedding brand images in prospects’ minds. Yearning to be the winners, manifold companies deploy shockvertising tactics based on sexuality, which has aroused a considerable number of conflicts among marketing strategists who side with different viewpoints. Some consider featuring sexual references a game-changing advertising method, while many others believe it should be abandoned. In-depth research conducted by experts worldwide tends to defend the latter opinion. Supporters of titillating advertisements argue that any product associated with these commercials would be more memorable to and preferred by customers, which is completely wrong. It is true that sexual appeals elevate ad recognition and recall; however, their effect on those of the brand is insignificant (Wirtz, Sparks, & Zimbres, 2017). Specifically, the majority of men focus on the sexual imagery much more than the advertised product (Lindstrom, 2008). Furthermore, a sizeable portion of consumers, especially women, hold a negative stance towards commercials involving sexuality (Lindstrom, 2008; Raghuram, Mahajan, & Poddar, 2015; Wirtz et al. , 2017). Consumers’ memory for and attitude towards a brand are what directly inspires their buying behavior. It is manifest that consumers are unlikely to acquire a product that does not hold a top-of-mind position or appears to be offensive. In brief, brands’ objective to first generate word-of-mouth and finally boost sales when building marketing tactics on sexuality are proved to be unattainable by such strategies. Another argument presented by marketers who favor erotic commercials is that the reliance on sex to grab attention is unavoidable, for consumers overlook and underestimate practical values. Nevertheless, case studies into renowed brands refute this assumption. A satisfactory service exerts a profound effect on the relationship between a brand and its customers. For instance, Nordstrom is Americans’ ideal choice thanks to its “liberal, virtually unconditional, money-back return policy” (Spector & McCarthy, 2012, p. 107). Similarly, the smart move of offering an excellent phone service helped Zappos boost its gross merchandise sales from nearly zero to over $1 billion in less than a decade (Hsieh, 2010). From two tangible pieces of evidence aforementioned, it is safe to draw a conclusion that bolstering a brand’s image with superior customer experiences is a catalyst for its widespread reputation, which not only attracts new clients but also builds a lifelong relationship with the existing ones. Marketing strategists who hold the advocacy of sexuality-based advertisements claim that small companies with financial difficulties could not wait until the provision of outstanding customer services repays. This is probably true; however, they could rely on storytelling to achieve their aim of making consumers remember their products quickly and vividly. Narratives, surprisingly, can be up to 22 times more memorable than basic facts (Aaker, n. d. ). Moreover, stories always evoke certain emotions, which is why they are rapidly and widely transmitted. To illustrate, the release of “Evolution” video, which praised the natural physical variations of all individuals and encouraged females to be more confident of their outer appearances, marked the milestone of Dove’s glamorous era of popularity (Berger, 2013). If erotic advertisements easily induce customers’ nonchalance or even boycotting actions, using narratives to market often embeds the product in consumers’ minds and influences their stance to be positive and supportive. In summary, relying on sexuality-based marketing tactics is a miscalculated move towards sustainable development. There is a plethora of evidence supporting the hypothesis that sex does not sell, for titillating contents have a minimal effect on customers’ memory, attitudes, and thereby, their purchasing behavior. Moreover, the co-operation between narrating in advertising and ensuring the quality of customer service generates both immediate and on-going word-of-mouth. Erotic commercials, which advertently startle and offend consumers, tend to end in no successes or might even backfire and ruin a whole company; therefore, will ultimately be eliminated in the process of devising marketing strategies.