Pepsi or Coke Sexy? The Sweet, Sassy and the Staunch - Are You Sold?

One of the most popular sexy soda commercials appears to be Beyonce' "Mirrors" and Pepsi released April 4, 2013 already has over 12.3 Million video views, does sexy truly sell? Although comments from viewers state that because of these commercials, they have switched from one brand to the other.

Does this mean taste of product is not the sale, and its about the sex or the person performing in these sultry, sweat dripping ads?


With over 19.5 Million video views and still counting after its release, November 2011, did the Britney Spears, Beyonce' and Pink rendition of "We Will Rock You" sexy Roman Gladiator style Pepsi advertisement incite a rush of new and old Pepsi buyers upon its release?

Let us examine Coca Cola's 2013 Diet Coke video advertisement featuring a man rather than women. The man being British model Andrew Cooper. This is not the first male sexy advertisement for Diet Coke. In 1994 Coca Cola placed Marc Jacobs in a shirtless advertisement. Although remembered as the 11:30 A.M. view for women working in an office.

This time, the subject is gardener, soaked by an upward spray of diet soda from waist level.  Andrews reveals his washboard abs. With 1.7 Million views since its January 27, 2013, will this entice more buyers of the brand? Not only is the advertisement celebrating the 30th anniversary of Diet Coke, it is aimed at women, conveying dieting is sexy, a hot body can be obtained by drinking the brand.

To make it easier for you decide whether people, especially younger males and females, will buy either of these brands for their taste or the sex, in a study of Sex in Advertising, University of Georgia researcher Tom Reichert concluded, "Sex sells because it attracts attention.

People are hard wired to notice sexually relevant information so ads with sexual content get noticed." Ads are becoming more erotic, a reflection of the changing sexual attitudes in our society. "It takes more explicitness to grab our attention and arouse us than before," Reichert says.

"Sex. Sex. Sex. It’s everywhere. It’s on the TV, in ads, on the internet and even on smart phones," declares writer Michelle Adams referring to the increase in sexually provocative ads pervading the airwaves today. 

Advertisers like Coke and others are hoping to capture the attention of Millennials (Generation Y) who appear to have fewer inhibitions and hangups about sexual content than previous generations.

Be honest with yourself, did either of ads work for you?

Contributing editor S. Rothe' du Bois