본 연구는 죽음 현저성(mortality salience)이 성적소구 광고 효과에 미치는 영향에 대해 소비자의 성별을 중심으로 살펴보았다. 기존 연구 결과에 따르면 성적소구 광고에 대해 여성보다 남성이 더 호의적인 태도를 보이는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구는 공포관리이론(Terror management theory)을 이론적 틀로 사용하여 높아진 죽음 현저성이 성적소구 광고에 대한 남성들의 반응에는 부정적인 영향을 주지만 여성들에게는 별 영향을 미치지 않을 것으로 예측하였다. 이를 검증하고자 죽음 현저성(높음 vs. 낮음), 참여자 성별(남성 vs. 여성), 광고표현(성적소구 vs. 비(非)성적소구)의 3가지 변수를 사용하여 참가자간 설계(between-subject design)로 실험하였다. 실험 결과, 남성들은 죽음 현저성이 낮은 상황보다 높은 상황에서 성적소구 광고에 더 부정적인 광고태도와 브랜드 태도를 보였다. 그러나 여성들에게는 죽음 현저성 효과가 나타나지 않았다. 비(非)성적소구 광고의 경우, 죽음 현저성 차이에 따른 광고태도, 브랜드 태도의 차이가 남녀 모두에게서 나타나지 않았다.
이러한 연구결과를 바탕으로 성적소구 광고 연구와 죽음 현저성 연구에 대한 이론적 시사점과 광고 실행과 관련된 실무적 시사점들과 함께 향후 연구 방향을 논의하였다.
The advertising literature has continuously found that sexual appeal in advertising is more effective for males. Meanwhile, Terror Management Theory(TMT) reported that misogyny appears more prominently for males when mortality is salient. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to combine or integrate these contradicting results while examine how the gender difference moderates the effect of sexual appeal in advertising under the condition of mortality salience. We expected that sexual appeal in advertising has a negative effect on males but not on females under the death salience condition based on TMT as a theoretical framework. This study employed 2(mortality salience: high, low) x 2(gender: male, female) x 2(advertising: sexual appeal, neutral) between-subject design. A total of 193 college students participated this study. The results revealed that males’ attitudes toward the ad as well as the target brand decreased when they were exposed to the sexual appeal advertising under the death salience condition. The females’ attitudes toward the ad and the product brand were not significantly different under the death salience condition. Our results provide an answer to the question arising from the contradicting gender effects found in sexual appeal advertising and mortality salience literature. The empirical findings from this study provide practical implications when marketers make use of sexual appeal advertising in the media context and consumer segmentation.
The advertising literature has continuously found that sexual appeal in advertising is more effective for males. Meanwhile, Terror Management Theory(TMT) reported that misogyny appears more prominently for males when mortality is salient. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to combine or integrate these contradicting results while examine how the gender difference moderates the effect of sexual appeal in advertising under the condition of mortality salience. We expected that sexual appeal in advertising has a negative effect on males but not on females under the death salience condition based on TMT as a theoretical framework. This study employed 2(mortality salience: high, low) x 2(gender: male, female) x 2(advertising: sexual appeal, neutral) between-subject design. A total of 193 college students participated this study. The results revealed that males’ attitudes toward the ad as well as the target brand decreased when they were exposed to the sexual appeal advertising under the death salience condition. The females’ attitudes toward the ad and the product brand were not significantly different under the death salience condition. Our results provide an answer to the question arising from the contradicting gender effects found in sexual appeal advertising and mortality salience literature. The empirical findings from this study provide practical implications when marketers make use of sexual appeal advertising in the media context and consumer segmentation.
