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Advertisers sure know how to get someone’s attention these days. In fact, some of the things we are seeing lately make you wonder—“What the heck were they thinking, and what are they trying to sell?”


Truth is, SEX SELLS.

Put a half naked girl by a car, and thats sure to catch someone eyes. But, what does men's cologne have to see with a naked women (pictured above)? What does a boy peeing on the wall have to do with Nike, a sports brand? It has nothing to do with the product all. They don't care if it is linked to their product, as long as they get you to stop and look.

Some pictures, in fact, try to get you to stop buying a product. They catch your attention, like the image on the right, making you stop and look. To some this image may be troubling, but it is truly a piece of art when it comes to capturing the audience.

Though photographs grab attention, film advertisements hit home.

Who suffers through advertisements?

According to apa.org The Task Force, appointed by the APA in 2000, conducted an extensive review of the research literature in the area of advertising media, and its effects on children. It is estimated that advertisers spend more than $12 billon per year on advertising messages aimed at the youth market. Additionally, the average child watches more than 40,000 television commercials per year.

Although many ads are aimed at childen, children are often part of an unintended audience. According to Media Life Magazine, MTV has a median viewer age of 21.6 years, is the top-rated network in the 12-24 demographic it targets. It has some the top shows for youth today. Shows such as "The Real World," show sex and immodesty to be "real" to youth.

Sure, the shows new sessons come out at 11:00 PM Mountain Time, but re-reuns air any time during the day. Thus, when your child comes home from school, they can turn on the TV and watch "The Real World."