Does Sexual-Stimuli Intensity and Sexual Self-Schema Influence Female Consumers’ Reactions toward Sexualised Advertising? An Australian Perspective

Abstract

Limited empirical research has investigated the impact of varying intensity levels of sexual-stimuli in print advertising on consumer behaviour together with the influence of sexual self-schema (SSS). Therefore, an exploratory experimental study was conducted with Australian women that examined the influence of explicit (high) versus mild (low) sexual stimuli intensity in print advertisements, and positive (high) versus negative (low) sexual self-schema levels on their reactions toward sex appeals. The results suggest that mild sexual-stimuli intensity has a more positive influence on women's attitudes and intended purchase behaviours, and that SSS has a limited influence. Further analysis suggests that the dimensionality of the SSS construct has shown divergent findings to prior U.S. centric research, calling for further studies to scrutinise the construct beyond this advertising context. Practitioner implications and future research directions are discussed.