The creator of Dilbert, Scott Adams, I think summed up the sex- sells principle best:
Males are predictable creatures. That makes it easy to craft a marketing message that appeals to them. All successful advertising campaigns that target men include one of these two messages:
1. This product will help you get dates with bikini models.Of course, the ultimate ad man, Don Draper, would disagree. When Peggy uttered the words "sex sells", Draper jumped down her throat.... but then, he was always jumping down her throat, so never mind.
2. This product will save you time and money, which you need if you want to date bikini models.