They're After Us!

  

I think they're after us! I think we've been being observed and now they're using what they found out against us. . . . Am I being paranoid? Maybe. . . but that doesn't mean they're not doing it.

    THEY? US? DOING WHAT? They = companies trying to sell us goods and services. Us = women, of all ages but especially between the ages of 30 and 50. Doing what = finally realizing that we are shallow and will respond to good looking men promoting products!

   

The publishing industry recognized this in the late 80s/early 90s when they began to change the cover art on romance novels to be mostly MEN from the previous focus on women on the covers. (It's been explained to me that the reason for heaving bosoms and impossible poses on romance novels in the 70s and 80s was to appeal to the all-male sales forces of publishers who sold the books to the 'accounts'.) The explosion of Fabio and John DeSalvo
and Steve Sandalis and all the way up to those male cover models popular today is one example of the change in focus.

   Now, or rather in the last couple of years (and especially since 50 Shades of Gray have become an open topic!), companies are using gorgeous men to get our attention. How are they doing that, you might ask?

Here are just a couple of examples of how THEY are after US?

Two words - ZESTY GUY!

And this:

And the latest:  (with a bit of humor added)

 So what do you think? Is this a 'better' or more effective way to get women's attention or, more importantly, their buying power? I mean, clearly sex appeal has worked for advertisers when their target audience is men....so does it work for women? Are they just good fun, turnabout-is-fair-play or really effective advertising - what do you think?

  Terri is busy at work on her next novel - the first in her new Warriors of Destiny series for NAL Signet which will be a Spring 2015 release. To see how it's all working out, stop by her FB page or visit her website.