Oz advertisers have blurred the line between food and sex

Melbourne, June 23 : Advertisers are gradually shifting their attention to adults from children to promote junk foods, and sex appeal is what they focus on to woo prospective buyers, according to reports.

Ice creams, chips, and other junk food items are being promoted with suggestive packaging and advertising these days.

"You know you want me. You want to hold me. You want to have me to yourself," the Daily Telegraph quoted a Nestle Double Blend hot chocolate container as stating.

The newspaper reports that some of the brands, including soon-to-be-released Sultry Sally Potato Chips, are trying to sell edible sex appeal on packets and websites.

Tim Burrowes, Editor of marketing magazine B and T, agreed that sex was used to sell products previously also.

He, however, said that advertisers' strategies these days were savvier.

"More and more advertisers are working out what presses a consumer's button - and what they are realising is that the consumer has got a load of different states of mind throughout the week,'' he said.

With many campaigns to ban junk-food advertising to children emerging in the recent past, advertisers were more likely to shift their attention to adults from children, he said.

Pointing out that chocolate was among foods marketed mostly with sexual connotations, Choice spokeswoman Elise Davidson revealed that a recent review of 18 hot-chocolate products found that every brand had the word "indulge" on packaging.

"They're using it because these foods are generally unhealthy - an occasional indulgence - rather than an everyday thing. So, breakfast cereals and things like that aren't marketed as being sensual - or people would think: Oh, I'll just do that occasionally; I'll just occasionally indulge in a bowl of cereal,'' she said.

She also revealed that advertising targeted at women was less overtly sexual than ads pitched at men.

"I think most adults recognise that eating a bar of chocolate every day isn't going to make you feel particularly sexy if you're a woman, so they're just really playing on: How can I indulge? What's a luxury?''' she said.

Elise also said that some of the world's sexiest women, such as Elizabeth Hurley, are also being hired for ad campaigns.

ANI