Images of Sex and Beauty While Abroad

Images of Sex and Beauty

Images using sex and beauty as selling tool have been around for a very long time. As the cliché phrase points out, ‘Sex sells’, and this is true no matter where you are in the world. The only things that dictate how much you can show are local norms and attitudes in those specific cultures.

Traditionally, the United States is much more conservative in how much skin you can show in advertisements. It doesn’t take much for an ad to be considered too racy for the general public. In Europe however, sexuality is more embraced, allowing marketers to get away with showing more (or less) and insinuating scenarios that in America would be considered taboo. It is commonplace to see a half nude couple promoting a brand of beer, a semi nude model selling health and beauty products and a seductive looking woman advertising cigarettes. Had they tried to use these images in a campaign in the U.S., family groups and politicians would have been up in arms about the issue and demanded a boycott until the ad was removed and an apology issued by the offending company.

An example I found particularly appropriate for this topic is an advertisement I saw while on a weekend trip to Prague. The ad shows a woman, completely naked, and her long blonde hair covering her breasts. The poster is advertising a vibrator and this is shown off to the corner of the ad. It is interesting to note how comfortable and open Europeans are with sex and beauty in their advertisements. The same campaign features a half naked man and woman advertising an adult store.

Culture plays a huge role in what is considered the norm and what is considered excessive and lewd. For Americans, having vibrator advertisements plastered around the city may be somewhat much considering that sex in the United States is still a very taboo subject that people like to keep in the bedroom. On the other hand, Europeans are comfortable seeing other people’s bodies and nudity and sex seem to be everywhere, therefore in the European culture this does not have such a negative connotation as it does in other parts of the world.

Integrated Marketing Communication In Berlin

Berlin, being one of the most advanced cities on the planet, ranks high in various aspects such as: technology, architecture, fashion and automotive advances. If it’s new, bold and daring, chances are they originated in Berlin. This holds true with IMC and how large a role marketing and advertisement play in this wonderful city.

Since the moment we stepped off the plane, we saw ad after ad bombarding us with the newest available products or services. However, Germans have found a way for this to be a so aesthetically pleasing that these bold ads and displays have become an art form. They use interesting shapes and colors, simple catch phrases and bold pictures to sell their products in a way that they are still compelling even if they are not necessarily aimed at your demographic.

However, this does not stop with your typical run of the mill billboards. They apply their creativity and come up with fantastic advertising ideas. One of the better campaigns I’ve seen while we have been in Berlin is the advertising from T-Mobile on the TV Station tower. They had T-Mobile customers send in text messages and picked those messages to be included on a wrap that goes around the tower as part of the campaign for the German Games. This example of mobile advertising shows the caliber of IMC and how it differs from campaigns seen in the United States.

A common new media for publicity in Berlin is video. I have seen many video projections throughout the city and the subways where a projector is placed facing the wall across the tracks. The ads are then interspersed with weather forecasts, headline news (local and international), and sports.

Cultural Differences While Traveling In Germany

Cultural differences abound when one travels abroad. This is evident in what we eat, where we go, places we see, people we meet, and even in the foods we try. Naturally, you would expect cultural differences when you travel, this is probably one of the reasons we do travel, to get a sense for the local cultures, see new things and meet new people that would otherwise be out of reach in our normal day to day lives.

There are tons of cultural differences between the United States and Germany. These can be seen in more obvious things like local cuisine and language, but they can also be appreciated in much more subtle ways, as in ways and means of disposing trash and recyclables and other mundane tasks that as Americans, we would do differently in our local cultures. Cigarette smoking is as predominant in Germany as it is in America with 30% of the population being considered smokers and smoking very widely accepted as it is still legal to smoke in restaurants and bars. However, Germans have incorporated a cigarette butt receptacle in all the public trash bins that are scattered about throughout the city. We have even witnessed many instances in which janitors will go pick up butts one by one to be disposed of properly.


Recycling is also a huge part of German and European culture with Germany contributing a large part to the global fight on increasing waste The chemical make up of the plastic bottles are more durable than their American counterparts so they can be returned, re-used, and recycled for future uses. They also managed to accomplish this by introducing the “Green Dot” program in which manufacturers pay a fee for using more packaging. Another major factor in this recycling ideal is when you return the bottles to the vendors you can even receive a small fee in exchange for the bottle therefore insuring that the majority of recyclables have the greatest probabilities of being returned.

A very curious and not so subtle cultural difference is how the various immigrant communities have kept their identity in the face of such a culture shock as leaving their homelands to come to a completely different world, with a complex language, and a very strong nationalistic identity. This was evident in the Carnaval of Cultures, in which many nations with citizens living in Berlin displayed their homeland’s flag and national music among other things. This was amazing to see in a country with such a strong sense of pride and rich history. The immigrants have picked up the language yet kept their own as secondary and have made Berlin into a much more international city while keeping its ancient mystical history alive and well.

Sources: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1828019,00.html

http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/recycling.html