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Emily was among the first to go, her last name of Avery putting her second on the list. She chose to focus on images for advertising, breaking it down by platform to discuss the varying sizes.
It wasn’t bad.
But she didn’t apply it to a specific industry, so I found it a bit lacking.
However, Pierce praised her. Because of course he did. He probably wanted to make out with her at a bar later.
I nearly rolled my eyes.
Was the whole relationship in my head? Yes. I’d seen him shut down her flirting a few times now. But it really irritated me how he showed her preference during class.
Carver spoke about ad language and using punchy marketing lines to engage in social media posts. He focused more on being friends with the consumers, talking in comments and putting them at ease—similar to how Pierce’s team always provided factual details.
It was a good application of the course material while also giving a nod toward Pierce’s profession.
Unfortunately, he didn’t appear all that impressed. Which was odd because Carver had one of the better presentations.
By the time it was my turn, my palms were slick and my belly felt weighed down by stones.
I swallowed. You can do this. It was about so much more than just applying what I’d learned. It was about proving my identity to the man who had captured my heart over a decade ago.
“Jenica Roberts,” he said, using my full name in a monotone. He didn’t look at me as he spoke it either, his gaze on his tablet.
I grabbed my laptop and stood, then wandered over to the podium to set everything up.
He still hadn’t acknowledged me with his eyes by the time I was ready to begin, something that irked me to no end. You had better at least look at me when I remove this coat, I thought.
“You can begin at your leisure, Miss Roberts.”
So that’s how it’s going to be. All right, then. “My presentation will focus on sex,” I announced.
And would you look at that? Pierce’s eyes are still dark green. Fascinating how a few words can make that stare come out to play.
I smiled at him, but it wasn’t a kind look so much as an arrogant one.
“Sex sells,” I continued, unbuttoning my jacket. “I’m not talking about porn or naked people, though. I’m talking about sensuality that’s both internet-appropriate and compelling to the consumers’ eyes.”
I shrugged out of my coat and walked over to lay it on my chair, fully aware that this gave Pierce an excellent view of my backside.
“But the key is making it personal enough that others can relate to you.” I returned to my laptop on the podium, completely ignoring Pierce. “It’s also important to understand where to add sexual advertising and where not to.”
I pulled up my first slide, showing an image of children playing with a well-known toy, and used that as an example of when not to use sexual advertising. It was common sense, obviously, but I started here and continued into more difficult marketing items for analysis.
Women’s running shoes—sex sells, but only when marketed correctly.
Video games—sex obviously sells because men are more visual than females.
Chocolates—clearly sexual in nature, unless advertising candy for children.
I went into a few others but really focused on the importance of knowing the audience and tailoring the sexual imaging appropriately. Not just to ensure that the consumer felt included in the experience, but also to pass the infamous social media bots that loved flagging nudity and “inappropriate content” in imagery.
Which led me to my final topic—my outfit.
“This dress is practically painted on,” I said, smiling. “But it covers all the sexy bits a bot would flag on social media, thus making it an appropriate marketing piece. Unless, of course, I posed with Carver in an indecent pose.”
“I volunteer,” he replied, his voice deep and meaningful.
I grinned at him and shook my head. “Only if the branding requires it, Carver.” Which was how I ended my presentation.
