Typically, sex refers to beautiful women (and increasingly, handsome men) that are used to lure in a viewer, reader or listener, despite a tenuous a non-existent link to the brand being advertised.
It's been said that as human beings, we have a lizard or reptilian brain that responds to certain primal urges. Food is one. Sex and reproduction is definitely another. This underlying, pre-programmed disposition to respond to sexual imagery is so strong, it has been used for over 100 years in advertising.
Statistically speaking, since most Corporate IT related decisions are made by man, we should be using sexy lady to promote our services. I placed some of the advertisements that use SEX as ways to get attention. One thing for sure, non of the products advertised here have anything to do with SEX.
Unfortunately, what it proves is … Men has a lizard or reptilian brain.