Sex Marketing Lindsay Lohan

Not one to miss out on a great marketing or public relations story, I happened across this story today that has both sex appeal and delusional glory all wrapped up in one big photo shoot. Lindsay Lohan is well known for her outrageously fascinating antics in the public eye, oh and her “movies”. That aside I bring up this delicious story of sex appeal and glory to illustrate a point of self marketing which is thus: there are always depths to which you are prepared to go to obtain attention and stardom that you do not yet realize.

Take a moment and read that over again and let it sink in. Too many times, we as marketers find ourselves looking for that next story, that next big thing that will make us easy money or gain our product worldwide attention, at the cost of our own lives or loved ones. Lately I’ve been seeing a few postings from some of the more famous bloggers out there (shoemoney, and john chow come to mind) who both say that behind their awesome achievements stands a strong, dedicated, and loving woman who will put up with the irritations of being with a marketer.

So take stock of what you have in the real world before you decide to put money and fame ahead of it. New York magazine has a great article and segments on how Lindsay Lohan redid Marilyn Monroe’s “The Last Sitting“. If you’re not familiar with Marilyn Monroe then you need to go Google it right now and learn, but if you’re over the age of say twenty then you’ve probably been acquainted with her already. Both Monroe and Lohan can be classified as media darlings and have a natural intrigue and curiosity about them that draws in the inquisitive public. To this point it was Monroe’s undoing, and some would say Lohan’s as well.

The photographer that originally shot Monroe’s “The Last Sitting“, Bert Stern has decided to revisit his original photographs with a contemporary subject in Lohan. Now some would say that this is Art being Art, but others will say that it is a photographer trying to recapture some of his early fame (and money). Now I’m not one to jump to conclusions, so I’ll not pass judgment on whether I think its a money grab or something done from the love of art, but I will say that its brilliant marketing.

One of the most potent and eternal selling points is sex. Bar none its the most influential and mind bending content sure to steal the will of the consumer. Touching on a sense of history, past fame, and sex appeal is a recipe for success in any field. Take one part hot super débutante in Lohan, add in a nice helping of reminiscent sex ala Monroe, finish with a dash of nudity and presto you’ve managed to coble together a winning combination.

What does this mean for your lonely blog in the middle of cyberspace? Well nothing really. Its just an illustration in the construction of believable marketability. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to do something that will make money and capture the hearts of mankind, you just need to combine the right elements together. This is especially important for generating traffic to your website. If you can combine enough individual elements together in your site that you are drawing visitors from many different segments of the internet then you’ve created a nice cascade effect. To do this you need to utilize some spice and create a product or page that everyone can relate to easily.