Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

The Use of Sex in Marketing Climbing Products 19-Dec-2008 At 12:44:45 PM westie

Message

On 19/12/2008 Wendy wrote:
> Do you reckon sex really does sell climbing gear? Does it sell cars either for the matter?

In a word No. IMO sex has no purchase in the climbing market. The idea behind sex as a marketing tool is that people visualise themselves in the scenario presented to them. For a car this may mean the fellas equate buying the car with pulling the bird on the bonnet in the ad. From my own observation, people who are genuinely interested in climbing are not equating sex with climbing at all. If you consider the images that inspire us - a great line, a gutsy pic of someone in a tough crux or someone really pushing the limit of climbing - none of it relates to sex in the slightest. We just don't connect the two at all. For the most part climbing is un-sexy. photos show mangled hands, starining necks and awkward poses. The women have a ridiculously low BMI and the gents have bad facial hair - you know who you are. While we're a fit looking bunch we ain't sexy as a rule.

Having said all this, when I'm not in climbing mode I find climber chicks sexy. But as soon as I see a climbing image I'm thinking - wow - look at the climb, are they doing it well? Have I been there? should I check it out etc... I rarely notice whether the climber is hot/not