Beauty pro division

As I was reading through the blogosphere today, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this post on one of my favorite beauty blogs, BellaSugar. Tom Ford's ad campaigns for his Fragrance For Men are about to debut in the fashion and beauty magazines as his fragrance launches on September 24th...but will sex sell?

The ads are something you would find in Playboy or the like (the above picture is the G version), definitely not something you expect to see displayed at you local retail outlet selling the fragrance. While Tom Ford exudes sex appeal, and I honestly don't know one woman who doesn't think he is sexy, I'm surprised that he would push the envelope this far. Ford is extremely creative and talented, yet these ads spell tacky with a capital T. Sure, they are not meant to appeal to women, it is a men's fragrance after all, but does Mr. Ford believe that a fragrance bottle between a woman's thighs that is about a centimeter shy of being considered porn, will garner him success with his first fragrance for men?

He's definitely gotten attention for these ads, mainly from women like myself who are just a little put off by them. However, maybe he is on to something. Women and men are different in the way they shop. For women, it is emotional and for men it is about meeting a need. Men are visual creatures, as well, and these ads definitely speak to them (maybe Tom has taken a page from Hugh Heffner?)

You can get an idea for the ad images by visiting Tom Ford's website.

What do you think? Will the adage be true--sex sells?