Sexual visual stimuli affect attitudes in 4 ways

When researchers examined the impact of sexual visual stimuli, they found these types of stimuli affected attitudes in four ways.

  1. Consumers tend to form inferences about the advertised brand based on the information presented in the visual part of the ad.
  2. If the visual element is evaluated positively, consumers tend to develop positive attitudes toward both the ad and the brand. If the visual element is evaluated negatively, then the reverse was true.
  3. In advertising with explicit visual sexual content, the sexual appeal often interferes with message comprehension.
  4. Ads with explicit visual sexual components produce greater purchase intentions.