bikinis now cover less than 1%

Tom Reichert, a professor at the University of Georgia who actually gets paid to study sex in advertising, has sad news to report. Bikinis, once the mainstay of automotive advertising, now account for less than 1% of vehicle ads in mainstream consumer publications. The trend points to the maturation of society, and the realization that women make equivalent if not the majority of vehicle purchase decisions in the United States.

Sex in advertising is not down and out, however. Reichert notes that when marketers do use sexual imagery, they are getting smarter about integrating hormones into the actual product itself. One common knock on racy images is they simply grab attention without influencing purchases, because like a dumb truck ad showing a woman in a tiny swimsuit, there is a disconnect between the riveting body and an unrelated product. But in 73% of recently evaluated sexual magazine ads, the creative hook was tied to what Reichert calls a "sex-related brand benefit." Axe, Old Spice, Victoria's Secret all continue eye-grabbing themes with a promise that their product itself will make you sexier.

Sex still works, but now it's inside the product -- not just bikinis.