Get real estate professionals talking about sex in the context of their jobs, and they're bound to sound silly sooner or later. And while the use of sex in real estate ads and marketing has been a frequent Curbed thread over the years (the Sculpture for Living ad at right still cracks us up), rarely do developers and marketers go on the record to explain themselves and their practices. Luckily for us, The Real Deal's Lauren Elkies does just that, and not only are there some entertaining quotes about why someone would use naked chicks to sell a piece of property, but the story also gives us a chance to dig up some of our favorite ads from the past. This is going to be capital-F Fun. Heh, we said F.
First, the quote. Then, the ads and marketing materials being discussed.
Here's Martin Brady, vice president of sales for the Marketing Directors, explaining why they decided to use the photos of Guido Argentini in the campaign for the Platinum in Hell's Kitchen, and why they then Photoshopped swimsuits over the models' nude bodies: "Our whole idea was they were strong. They were perfect bodies. They were powerful. That was our image of the building. [The swimsuits] took the emphasis off the sexiness, if you will, and put the emphasis on muscularness."
And now, Clifford Finn of Citi Habitats discusses his campaign for the condo conversion of the Herald Towers, a conversion since abandoned: "We chose one or two playful ads that sort of used that tongue-in-cheek, double-entendre sexiness of a couple in their bedroom. It had a point. It wasn't just trying to be sexy just to have a sex ad."
And this would not be a story about sex in real estate advertising without a mention of William Beaver, which has since been scrubbed clean. Said Andre Balazs, "I personally am not sure it was sexy."
You know, we actually believe Andre. For a man with such a jet-setting bachelor's lifestyle, a game of bikini basketball, a private striptease and a slightly agitated and intoxicated bit of wildlife probably aren't sexy.
· Sexy Ads: Undressed for success [TRD]
· People Sounding Stupid in The Real Deal, Part I [Curbed]
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