JKR

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has called for a ban on advertising featuring scantily clad women in public spaces. She’s concerned about the corrosive effect on young girls’ self image.

I have some sympathy, though the notion she puts forward that this is a recent phenomenon seems somewhat quaint. But this blog is not a forum to debate social issues. From an amoral viewpoint – and focussing on the branding of such communications – one of Dorries’ quotes was interesting:

“You can’t help but see these. On the Armani ads you can barely see the name of the company”.

Looking at the ad in question, clearly Dorries is wrong. But her perception is illuminating. Megan Fox’s charms have obscured the brand in Dorries’ mind’s eye. And in truth, the generically sexy black and white photography could come from any number of brands.

On the other hand, the equally sexy wonderbra ad made the brand famous despite deploying a proportionally tiny logo.

I think they achieved this by making the image and copy all about the product rather than the model.

Sorry for the double entendre, but if you are going to use a nice pair of boobs to sell your product, it takes careful handling to ensure they don’t overshadow the brand.