Selling with Sex in Sin City: The Case of the Hard Rock Hotel Casino

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2007

Publication Title

Journal of Promotion Management

Volume

13

Issue

2020-01-02

First page number:

169

Last page number:

188

Abstract

The author presents a case study of the sexual appeals used in several billboards for the Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2004, the Hard Rock paid a $100,000 settlement with the Nevada Gaming Commission for advertising deemed “inappropriate.” The author analyzes the messages concerning female nudity and implied sexual activity contained in two billboards cited in the formal complaint, and another billboard that used female same-sex eroticism to promote the Hard Rock as an entertainment experience. The article concludes with a discussion of the deontological concerns warranted by overtly sexual advertising.

Keywords

Advertising; Billboards; Branding; Case study; Casino; Las Vegas; Sexual appeals

Disciplines

Advertising and Promotion Management | Gaming and Casino Operations Management

Language

English

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