Representation of sexuality in Calvin Klein Jeans advertising campaigns (1980–2016): gender approach

Abstract

The subject of this research is the means of representing sexuality in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein Jeans (1980 – 2016). The object of this research is the use of gender stereotypes (masculinity/femininity) in advertising as a way to manipulate collective consciousness for solution of marketing tasks. The aim of this article consists in determination of advertising strategies of the Calvin Klein brand for the period 1980 – 2016 and the techniques of representation of sexuality for the effective impact of advertising upon the target audience. Analysis is conducted on Calvin Klein Jeans advertising campaigns for the past 40 years by decade, revealing the methods of suggestive effect on the consumer for promoting the product. The main following conclusions were made: 1) selecting provocation as the advertising strategy since 1980 to the present, the Calvin Klein brand employs diverse methods of suggestive effect on the recipient, programming their needs and behavioral attitudes, thereby manipulating collective consciousness; 2) kinesic, proxemic, coloristic, phonatory, and speech means for representation of sexuality testify to the use of gender stereotype (masculinity/femininity) in order to produce effective impact upon the target audience; Calvin Klein Jeans advertising campaigns feature similar strategies for 40 years, which are intended to solve marketing tasks via provocation. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that the identified provocation techniques in Calvin Klein advertisings based on the use of gender stereotypes allowed creating the “portrait” of the brand and tracing the patterns in arrangement of advertising campaigns. The author's special contribution consists in analysis of the means for representation of sexuality used in jeans advertising, techniques influencing the recipient through arbitrary interpretation of gender stereotypes, as well as manipulative methods of creating Calvin Klein PR-campaigns.