29 January 2008: Nude Situps and Gillette Shower Gel

Upon discussing various ethical issues today, I was reminded of a very specific commercial I had seen in the spring of 2005 when I was living in Dublin, Ireland. My American association of sex with violence was so surprised by the content of this ad that my recall level was exceptionally high. The ad: Gillette Sanex for Men Shower. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWmEXDNuJhA&feature=related. This ad blatantly uses sex to sell both to men and to women. The concept: a naked man is doing his situps on the floor and a female voice over asks "do you keep your skin in top condition?" One sees the entire length of this man's body and eventually, his entire backside, while he is taking a shower. The one shot to his face shows his relaxation and fierce attraction in his eyes. The female voice over then introduces the new Sanex For Men Shaving Range. Then, the final clip, depending on the ad you see, is a woman kissing either his check or his 8-pack abs.

Is this ad ethical? Is it alright for an ad to use nudity to sell this product. The deontological argument suggests that corporations have a duty to respect an individual and not use them as a means to an end. In America, the cultural norm is that it is okay to use sexuality to sell a product but not full nudity. However, in Britain, sex does not have the same cultural meaning as it does in the U.S. Does the deontological ethics still hold? The Utilitarian view would suggest that the benefits from this ad outweighs the harm done (if any). Secondary stakeholders could be impacted by the perfect body image that this portrays. It also may negatively impact primary stakeholders who purchase this product specifically to gain sex. It is exactly these questions that made me recall this ad so vividly.

I do not remember the first time I was exposed to Gillette razors. My father always used Bic razors, so it may have been when I started to shave myself. Shaving my legs meant that I was an official teenager. It was like a coming of age. This ad did play upon the 'coming of age' concept. However, it did so in a way that was not according to my normal code. That is why I remembered it. I remember the first time I saw this ad and I remember later telling people about the 'porn' ad I had seen. While this ad has not impacted the way I view Gillette as a company, it has impacted the way I view Sanex for Men. Sanex for Men = the porn ad. A company should be careful as to how it uses it ads because it may break through the clutter and not result in the desired goal.