Abstract:
While some advertisers have undertaken controversial advertising campaigns that have been
very successful, some have been damaging to the company. This is particularly important for
companies that have a controversial product, like condoms, feminine hygiene products and
underwear. This paper presents some preliminary results of a survey of150 people to determine
whether they perceive particular sex/gender-related products as offensive, what are the reasons
to find advertisements offensive and discover correlations to ascertain why certain products are
perceived as offensive. The results, while preliminary, indicate some important issues for
advertisers.
