Why Sex in Advertising Works

This is brilliant. Bill Davenport, executive director of the Valley Care pregnancy Centre in Nova Scotia, has made a connection that I haven't seen elsewhere, not even when I wrote about marketers using neuroscience.

I wondered if there was a reason for advertisers to use sexually stimulating images and words along with their product. I wondered if oxytocin was also released during simple arousal. If so, then the combination of sexual arousal, oxytocin and a product for sale could elevate trust in the consumer toward that product.

It's so simple, but so profound. Dabenport doesn't quote any scientific studies supporting that oxytocin is released during arousal, but it sure makes sense, because oxytocin is released in a variety of non-touch situations, and I think he's right.

Link: Oxytocin, bonding, trust and manipulation

Comments

[Bill Davenport]

If you find studies where oxytocin is shown to be secreted during arousal, I'd love to know about them to add to my reference about this. As it is, on the online ecyclopedia, Wikipedia, it mentions arousal and bonding as actions of oxytocin. The following quote is from that source and can be foud at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin

"Actions of oxytocin within the brain:
Oxytocin secreted from the pituitary gland cannot re-enter the brain because of the blood-brain barrier. Instead, the behavioral effects of oxytocin are thought to reflect release from centrally-projecting oxytocin neurons, different from those that project to the pituitary gland. Oxytocin receptors are expressed by neurons in many parts of the brain and spinal cord, including the amygdala, ventromedial hypothalamus, septum and brainstem.

Sexual arousal. Oxytocin injected into the cerebrospinal fluid causes spontaneous erections in rats (Gimpl 2001), reflecting actions in the hypothalamus and spinal cord.

Bonding. In the Prairie Vole, oxytocin released into the brain of the female during sexual activity is important for forming a monogamous pair bond with her sexual partner. Vasopressin appears to have a similar effect in males [1]. In people, plasma concentrations of oxytocin have been reported to be higher amongst people who claim to be falling in love. Oxytocin has a role in social behaviors in many species, and so it seems likely that it has similar roles in humans. It has been suggested that deficiencies in oxytocin pathways in the brain might be a feature of autism."

- Bill Davenport

[Bill Davenport]

Sorry, I had to re-post the entry on my blog, so the link you have on your post is no longer correct. The link is now http://lifebuilder.blogspot.com/2006/04/oxytocin-bonding-trust-and_04.html

Thanks

[Susan Kuchinskas]

Thanks for letting me know about the URL change, Bill, I've fixed it in the story. I think the trust studies you mentioned (and to which I've linked to in several posts) are very pertinent.

[Sumi]

Most of the articles there are non-academic... not sure they are worth believing but your suggestion is interesting with respect to advertising. Not surprizing by any standard but I have not heard anyone else mentioning something like this.

[Susan Kuchinskas]

Agreed, Sumi. These non-academic articles tend to translate scientific studies with varying degrees of accuracy. However, the release of oxytocin during physical contact among humans is well documented scientifically, as is its release when stroking a pet.

There seems to be intense interest in oxytocin among the general public, and I think that interest is feeding some intriguing and fairly well-informed speculation that certainly is leaping ahead of the scientific work.