"Influence Of Sexual Objectification OfWomen In Advertising, On ConsumerPurchase DecisionsSUPERVISOR: STUDENT NAME: STUDENT NUMBER:WORD COUNT:Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisions“I’ve seen the future and it is blue.” By Matthew Friedman (2003)2 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, I?d like to offer my humblest thanks to God, the most merciful and mostcompassionate having all knowledge and wisdom. I feel much pride in acknowledging the inspiring guidance, encouraging attitude andvaluable comments; I received from my dissertation supervisor Prof. Charles Dennis;who has been very helpful and supportive at every stage of my dissertation progress, bycontinuously motivating me to stay on a right track and work effectively with hisexcellent coaching.My sincere thanks are due to the contestants of this study for giving their valuable timeand participating in the study. Without their contribution my research would not havebeen completed. At the end, I feel great depth of obligation to my loving parents whoseprayers have enabled me to reach this stage.Thank you very much all for your help and support.3 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsDECLARATIONI confirm that this report is wholly my work. The dissertation does not incorporatewithout any proper acknowledgement of the particular author in referencing. I alsoconfirm that the work is not a copied from any previously published materials. Thereferencing and citation is fully provided in the text and footnotes, using (HarvardReference Style) and the full reference list is provided as well. I have given my best inthis research, by trying to provide all knowledge obtained about the research topic. Iaccept that on submission of this research report, it becomes the property of BrunelUniversity who may further use this report for research purposes if required, withoutmy consent.Student ID: Date:4 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsABSTRACTThis research focuses on differentiating the decision making of consumers towardsbrands that are promoted through sexually objectified ads on women. The studyhighlights the perceptions and attitudes of consumers towards purchasing suchbrands. It also seeks to understand the influence of present situation on consumers?attitudes and decision to buy.The research literature shows the consumer behaviour responses towardsadvertising. It reflects on whether ads objectifying women as sex objects have apositive or negative influence on the consumers. And in turn how does it affect theirpurchase decisions.This research is based on quantitative research approach where the data is collectedusing a questionnaire survey. The survey is carried out in two different situations tofill in the gap in the literature, determining and comparing the different responses ofthe two different groups of participants. The findings from the research reveal that consumers have neutral attitude towardssuch ads, they do not have any negative feelings towards the ad, as they consider itas a normal routine advertisement. This is the case due to much of sexual contentused in media these days. However, the results also show that the first Group ofparticipants not inclined towards purchasing the brand, due to the environment theywere provided to answer (right after viewing the ad), while the second group hadalmost equal ratio of respondents inclined towards purchasing the brand and noteffected to purchase it. This shows that it?s not the “sex sells” slogan that works, butconsumers just take it as any other advertisement.Moreover, path for furtherresearch studies is also recommended in the end.5 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsTABLE OF CONTENTSAcknowledgements ………………………………………………………………….3Declaration.............…………………………….………………………………….....4Abstract……………………………………….……………………………………...5Contents of dissertation…..........................................................................................6List of figures………………………………………………………………………...9Chapter 1: Introduction1.1 Introduction..……………………………...………………….…………………101.2 Significance of study……………………………………...…………………….111.3 Aims and objectives…………………………………………………….……….131.3.1Objectives…………………………………………….……………..131.3.2Research question………………………….………….…………….131.4 Structure of dissertation...……………………………………………………….14Chapter 2: Literature Review2.1 Introduction ...……………………………...………………….…………………162.2 Consumer behaviour and decision making……………………………………......162.2.1 Consumer Behaviour….........................................................................162.2.2Understanding consumer behaviour....…………….……………….….182.2.3Consumer decision making processes .........................................….....202.2.4 Advertising and consumer behaviour …………………………….......242.3 Sexual objectification of women in advertising .....................................................272.3.1Advertisers? perceptions …...................................................................272.3.2Consumers? perceptions ………….……………………...................…292.4 Consumer attitudes and purchase decisions towards brands using such ads.....….292.5 Advantages and disadvantages of such ads ………………....................................352.5.1 On Consumers …..................................................................................352.5.2 On Society .................................................................................….......352.5.3On Business .................................................….....................................366 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisions2.6 Contemporary Issues of Gender Differences & Age...…………..………….……372.7 Problem identification..................................................…………..………………382.8 Summary………………………………………………………………....………39Chapter 3: Methodology3.1 Introduction........ ……………………………….………………………………..403.2 Research design…………………………………………………………………..403.3 Research methods……………………………………………….………………..42 3.3.1 Primary Research Methods.....................................................................423.3.2 Secondary Research Methods……………………….…………………433.4 Participants of study…………………………………………..………………….433.5 Data Collection ...........................................…………………….………………..443.5.1 Data Collection among Group A.............................................................443.5.2 Data Collection among Group B.............................................................453.6 Method of Data Analysis……………………………...…………………………453.7 Limitations and Potential problems...............…………………………………….463.8 Summary………………………..………………………………….…………….47Chapter 4: Findings4.1 Introduction........ ……………………………….………………………………..484.2 Findings from Questionnaires...…………………………………………..….….48 4.2.1 Findings from Group A.........………………………………….………494.2.2 Findings from Group B.........………………………………….………564.3 Summary…………………………………………………………………...…….63Chapter 5: Discussion5.1 Introduction........ ……………………………….………………………………..645.2 Consumer perceptions about sexually objectified ads on women.........................647 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisions5.3 Consumer attitudes and purchase decisions towards brands using sex appeal in theirads...............................................................................................................................655.4 Consumer responses in two different situations…...................................………675.5 Summary................................................................................................................68Chapter 6: Conclusion and Recommendations6.1 Introduction........ ……………………………….………………………………..696.2 Conclusion..............................................................................................................696.3 Recommendations..................................................................................................70ReferencesReferences……………………………………………………………………………72AppendixesAppendix A: Ethical form of the research study………….......…………………….80Appendix B:Questionnaire ...............................................…………………………82Appendix C: Findings from Group A ………………………………………………85Appendix D: Findings from Group B ………………………………………………898 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsList of figuresFigure 1: Attitudinal stages with the effects model ..................................................18Figure 2: The pyramid of consumer behaviour .........................................................20Figure 3: Consumer Decision Making Model ...........................................................21Figure 4: The Conceptual Framework ......................................................................22Figure 5: Model of Consumer Decision Making ......................................................23Figure 6: AIDA Model..............................................................................................28Figure 7: Elaboration Likelihood Model ..................................................................31Figure 8: Three Hierarchies of effects......................................................................32Figure 9: The induction Process................................................................................419 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsCHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION1.1 IntroductionMarketing is gaining substantial power in the modern world and advertisers are thepeople who play with the minds of the customers by using different tools andtechniques to attract them for their products. They keep on searching for new waysto attract the clients for their upcoming products and new brands. Along with severalother advertising tactics, nowadays women have been identified and used as a majortool of attraction while promoting different products through advertisements.Women are not only used as the suitable instrument for advertising instead they arealso considered as the sexually attractive object for promotional activities. Advertisers think that highlighting the sexual objectivity of women in ads wouldattract a major segment of market a huge number of consumers for their product.And this research would simply answer this statement, either by proving ordisapproving it through past researches, interviews and surveys from differentconsumer segments of the society. This study would mainly focus on the decisionmaking power of customers for any product or brand which is promoted by usingsexually objectified ads on women. This study would show whether clients areattracted through such ads or their response is neutral or bad by focusing theincreased or decreased demand of that product or brand. One more considerable rationale is the significance of advertising in businessoutlook, every business now focuses on customer behaviour realizing its interiorconsequence for their sales and profit, and so the advertising sectors are expected toplan outcome oriented advertisements highlighting the increased sales. This can be10 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsaccomplished if the clients certainly react to the commercial, thus takingencouraging buying decisions towards the brand or product. This might also be dueto the reason of immense competition which is present in consumer markets thesedays. Women are targeted as the sexually attractive tools for ads because not only alarge number of buyers are usually interested in watching such ads but they attractmore toward those brands and products who are using such objects in theiradvertisements. Advertisers need attraction of the consumers so that they can sendtheir promotional messages affectively and if consumers are going to find itattractive and interesting they would retain it for a longer period of time (Robinson& Hunter, 2008).Although in older times such trends were not seen because there was no majorcompetition present in the market and also marketing was not considered as thesignificant tool of attracting more and more customers, but nowadays due toimmense competition and presence of a large number of sellers, one has to focus onattractive marketing strategies to survive in today?s competitive market. But in thestudy our main focus is on the sexual objectification of women in ads, differentproblems related to such strategy, customer?s response against such objectification ofwomen and lastly the change in demand of the specific brand and product which isthe ultimate purpose of the advertising and marketing. The study has tried tospotlight on a very essential gap present in the historical research, particularly thepower of customers while their preference for the brand through their general insighttowards sexual objectification of women in ads. In the history of marketing, advertising has been thought of as a key factor tocommunicate with the customers. Advertisers, nowadays, are confronted withincreasing competition. Thus they have been looking for ways to present a brand insuch an arresting way so that consumers will retain information and possibly changetheir buying behaviour. (Manceau and Tissier-Desbordes, 2006)However, the advertising strategy used must answer all questions relative to itseffects on target audiences, including the changes in the decision making towards thebrand. (Manceau and Tissier-Desbordes, 2006)11 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsSince the seventeenth century advertisement has been used to attract customerstowards certain product or business (www.mediaknowall.com), however the contentof advertising is being criticized in many aspects. One of the concerns regardingadvertising since the feminist era is the portrayal of women in advertisements as adecorative object. Several researches have been done in this regard, conferring itseffects on the public. Various media literacy efforts have been made to educatepeople in this regard (Reichert, LaTour, Lambiase, and Adkins, 2007).Sexual objectification of women in advertising is a quite sensitive and importantproblem as such ads have considerable unintentional effects on the attitude ofpeople, especially regarding the women?s' role in the society and the way it isperceived. Another significant reason is the importance of advertising in businessperspective, every business now focuses on consumer behaviour realizing its coreimportance for their sales and profitability, and thus the marketing departments areexpected to design result oriented advertisements emphasizing on increasing thesales. This can be achieved if the customers positively respond to the ad, thus takingpositive purchase decisions towards the brand (Reichert, LaTour, Lambiase, andAdkins, 2007), but that might not always be the case? The research to date has tended to focus on a very important gap found in theliterature, specifically the influence of consumers' situation while buying the brandon their overall perception towards sexual imagery in advertising. 1.2 Significance of StudyIf somebody says in this modern world that sexual objectification is not good frommarketing point of view then it seems like a very old concept. As now this concepthas gained much importance in the field of marketing and sales. Marketers are awareof the fact that in one or the other way they have to make their sales higher day byday, thus they have been adopting new strategies to do so. Now the sexualobjectification has been accepted by majority of the marketers but still few haveobjections over this. They think humans should not be used as objects while we aretalking about tools and techniques of marketing. Research on marketing persists tomake obvious that women?s roles are sexually originated and they are predominantly12 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsused as items which may please viewer?s eye. Old researches have shownsignificantly depressing reactions of females about such ads. And if the depiction offemales as sexual objects in ads develop into more extensive use than, such womenwould go badly behind it while the educated ones feel that it is quite acceptablewhen we talk about marketing and promotions. The dilemma also caters that if there are no pessimistic trademark inferences, andthen these schemes of marketing, may outcome in an acquisition. Constant depictionof women as sex objects in ads, on the other hand, seems to have subliminal effectson the inhabitants. It lefts with an argument which is studied about whether cultureshould find it surprising, upsetting, or giving power to the young ones, sophisticatedwomen, previously the people most important of sexually imaged marketing, nowindifferently acknowledge the show off of their sexual category and does this inpoint of fact cause no impact in their buying decisions? The impacts of sexuallyobjectified ads, in case if pessimistic will tend to effect the acquisition decisions ofcustomers, to a degree of getting impolite towards the brand. This apprehension offemale depiction in promotional ads will help make such changes in commercialsthat are in assistance for the brand and will direct producers of commercial ads to usethe proper content. It will also help examining the apparent role of women in theculture due to such ads, and discovering effects of media awareness in other contextsof media as well. This study would specifically follow the comparison of two beauty productcompanies in regard with the sexual objectification of women in their advertisement.Further comparison will be made in the lateral part of the study but the companieswhich we have chosen include Olay and L?Oreal. Olay is making more severe sexualobjectification of women in their ads while L?Oreal is although having females intheir ads but the extent of sexual objectification is very low. Both these companiesare trying to portray the beauty of women in their ads through sexual objectification.Further details of this comparison will be done in the lateral section of the paper incomplete details. This paper would not only give a deep insight into the issue ofsexual objectification of women, but it would also show the behaviour of differentmarketers in this context and the response of clients against such ads. The conclusionof the paper would be very helpful for both the marketers and the company owners.This research study would fulfil the gap which is present in the old researches thathow women should be objectified in ads. Both perspectives of women and their13 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsusage in advertisements as sexually objectified objects would be discussed in thepaper to give a complete overview to the customers, marketers and companies. Andthis would be beneficial for all of them and thus the scope of the research wouldbecome more extensive. 1.3 Aims and ObjectivesThe objective of this research study is aimed at identifying the differences indecision making criterions of the clients towards specific brand or product that arepromoted through sexual objectification of women in advertisements. This paperwould highlight the instant beliefs and perceptions of clients for such products. Thisstudy will also study the impacts of such ads on the currently present brands inmarket on the buying decisions of their clients. This study focuses on distinguishingthe administration of clients headed for brands that are encouraged through sexuallyobjectified ads on women. The research gives a deep insight into the awareness andapproaches of clients for buying such products due to that type of ads. It in additiontries to appreciate the power of current circumstances on clients? approach andchoices for products to purchase. It imitates on either ads objectifying women as sexobjects have a positive or negative influence on the consumers. And in turn howdoes it affect their purchase decisions. This research is based on quantitativeresearch approach where the data is collected using a questionnaire survey. Researchis basically based over two main types of surveys for filling the literature gap and tocompare and contrast the responses of two groups of respondents. The key studyobjectives which are going to be focused in this study are as follows:? To find out and explain the client perceptions about sexually objectified ads.? To investigate customer attitudes and buying decisions towards brands usingsuch ads.Along with the major objectives of the study there is a problem statement orquestion which this research study would answer which is mentioned below: “Howsexually objectified ads on women influence the customer perceptions which againcontrol customer buying decisions?”14 Influence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisionsInfluence of sexual objectification of women in advertising, on consumer purchase decisions1.3.2 Research QuestionThe primary research questions of this study are:? How sexually objectified ads on women affect the consumer perceptions which inturn influence consumer purchase decisions?The questionnaires completed by the consumers will very much reveal theperceptions of the consumers towards sexually objectified ads, and will even revealwhat purchase decisions do they intend to take against such brands.? How does the situation or environment influence consumers? perception towardsnudity and sexual suggestiveness in ads?This research will expose the consumer decision making towards buying such brandsin two different situations, at the Point of purchase (on the high street) or in a moregoal-oriented environment given to the consumers (while watching the ad).? Why do young, educated women, now casually accept the sexual objectification oftheir gender and does this actually cause no effect in their purchase decisions?The results will also confirm the attitude of such consumers, who do not considersexual on objectification an issue at all, and are very casual towards any type of adsviewed.? What are the affects of such ads on consumers, society and business? From the result of the questionnaires, this study will explore the ways by which thebrands are affected by using sexually objectified ads on women and what would bethe implications in future for their higher sales and profitability. Other than the industry, the results will also reveal the effects on the society, forfuture advertising strategies.15 "