Sex Sells in the Sydney Morning Herald
Using sex to sell in advertisments is nothing new, but I’m starting to realise that the ads displayed on the online version of The Sydney Morning Herald tend to be even sexier than those featured in the hardcopy paper versions of publications. Not just in style, but also in content. And after monitoring the websites of the major Australian newspapers, eg. The Courier-Mail, The Adelaide Advertiser and even The Daily Telegraph, it seems that SMH is the sexiest of the lot.
Many SMH ads promote dating services, something that I don’t think would feature in the actual newspaper. Others feature half-naked men and women in tropical holiday destinations, and attractive men and women to promote cosmetics. There don’t seem to be as many business related ads as there are in the paper, though there is the odd credit card and home loan ad.
There’s a little box on the top right-hand side of the online SMH homepage which constantly flashes from one picture and headline to the next. It usually features juicy little stories with sexy little pictures - today one of the flashes featured a pic of Kylie Minogue’s famous arse in gold hotpants.
Another flash displayed the heading Sexist, Moi! and a picture of a male and female in a passionate embrace on a bed - the article was a review for a new film titled Russian Dolls. Another is about sexual harassment claims against halfback Craig Gower, and the other flash reads Brunettes Have More Fun.
All of these articles would have been in the paper version also, however the web seems to allow for a sexier format and style. Plus I guess the online versions of publications appeal to a younger, more savvy market and this is why the ads are getting sexier and promoting sexier products. But I am surprised to find that Fairfax’s site seems sexier than the Murdoch publications’ sites, when the SMH is generally considered to be a more serious, intelligent, left-wing newsy newspaper, as opposed to a tabloidy celebrity-obsessed mainstream publication.
LOl - my last comment was rather irrelevant, so this is me commenting again.
It’s a very interesting point you’ve made considering proclamations of the SMH being a broadsheet especially when one expects a paper like the Daily Telegraph to be the ’sexiest of the lot’. Thankfully, the UK’s The Sun newspaper’s website - www.thesun.co.uk - looks like a soft-porn website instead of the ‘biggest selling newspaper in the UK’ as it proclaims.
Which brings me to my next point - its a classic case of ’sex sells’. It’s probably expected that The Sun is the UK’s biggest selling newspaper because of all the sex its advertising on its website - umm, ‘Page 3 of the year’? Am I at the wrong website? Maybe the SMH is trying to increase its readership in the face of the rapidly growing popularity of the Daily Telegraph? And to do this, they’re - as you stated - appealing to the younger generation i.e. senior high schoolers and uni students. Its also another thing to note that most schools and universities only offer subscriptions to broadsheets such as the SMH and the Australian.
Anyhoo - not sure if you’re checking your blog/email often (indeed you should! =P) but I sent you an email regarding our presentation.. oh perplexed!
Comment by Margaret — January 7, 2006 @ 3:05 am
this is so true… herald pretends being a ’serious issues’ paper… but cant help itself… countless examples especially online. i noticed the other day they had the piece on how teenage girls are ‘trapped’ in the raunch culture… but next to the link the website had a huge picture of a teenage model in low-cut hipsters pulling suggestively at her shirt!! her face was cut off & all the attention (well, mine at least) was on her ‘nether regions’… hmmm!
also when the whole michelle leslie thing was happening they had a link to a video of her in bodypaint modelling nude at the state theatre… nice!
relevant to the story? not really.. get lots of hits? naturally
Comment by sancezsancez — January 9, 2006 @ 12:48 am
I thought it was interesting to note the sex appeal of the Herald, since, as you both commented, we expect the Herald to be a serious & intelligent broadsheet - in contrast to publications like the Telegraph which seem to unashamedly use sex to sell.
Interesting that “the UK’s The Sun newspaper’s website - www.thesun.co.uk - looks like a soft-porn website”, Maggie. In that case, I’m not surprised that it’s the ‘biggest selling newspaper in the UK’!
I guess the SMH is trying to increase its readership, with the tried and tested method of sex in advertising & editorial - you have to admit, it does work, especially for selling papers to the biggest consumer markets - the younger generations…but does it work to uphold the dignified reputation of the Herald??
Thanks for drawing my attention to the article on girls & raunch culture Sancez…hypocritical to say the least!! Self aware…i’m not sure? I’m going to write my very next blog on that article, so consider that my reply to your comment.
Comment by Administrator — January 10, 2006 @ 11:50 pm