Is It the Content or the Person? Examining Sexual Content in Promotional Announcements and Sexual Self-Schema

SUMMARY Sexual content is a prominent feature in television promotional announcements, but its effect has received little scholarly attention. This study tested the efficacy of both sexual content and a personality variable (sexual self-schema) on consumers' attitudes toward the promo, the advertised program, viewing intention, and self-reported arousal. Results showed that sex appeal had main effects on all dependent variables, and moderate sex appeal generally induced the most favorable responses. In contrast, sexual self-schema did not significantly affect participants' responses. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.