Pictures of hot ladies makes men want something NOW, and care less about the future

A picture says more than a thousand words, hey... In advertising this is of course a well known and well used fact. But do the art directors really know how our subconscious is affected by different visual messages?

Roger Dooley at Neuromarketing blog has found research suggesting that "male viewers are influenced by photos of attractive women, and their decisions skew toward the short-term and impulsive. Incorporating such images in marketing or point-of-sale materials has the potential to lift sales if the product itself has an appropriate reward. For example, I would think that sales of, say, apparel or grooming products would do better than, say, broccoli."

This means that when a guy looks at a hot chick he will feel a need of a quick reward, a kick of some kind. He won´t bother about the future, but be more eager to get some pleasure here and now.

According to Dooley, this should also mean that " photos of attractive women could be ineffective or even a negative when selling certain kinds of products to men. For example, products like life insurance and annuities both involve spending current money for a future (and, in the case of insurance, uncertain) payout. Priming male sales prospects with mating cues could be counter-productive by making the cash in their pocket seem more valuable compared to the future rewards."

So... when a bank pictures a gorgeous looking girl in their ad, that might actually mean that the guy will be less interested in something that is good for him long term, like a savings account. Instead it triggers him to go out and spend money on things that make him attractive to girls today!

This also means that for male targeting FMCG brands it´s even more important to have sexy women in their ads. It will make him want to enjoy himself in the moment!