Remember the message James Carville tacked to the war room wall during Bill Clinton's first run for the Oval Office? In today's world of designer fashions, a marketer's rallying cry might have a similar -- though surely more provocative -- ring to it.
 Something like this, maybe: It's the shock value, stupid!
Indeed, would anyone be surprised to find such an exhortation affixed to the cappuccino machine at Gucci, the legendary Italian fashion house?
Last month, Gucci designer Tom Ford unveiled a controversial new ad in Vogue's European and Asian editions. It features supermodel Carmen Kass pulling down her panties while a young man embraces her knees.
As if the sight of Kass' curlies would not be sufficient on its own to outrage the censors, the locus of attention is not even her G-spot per se. It is the letter "G" -- representing the Gucci logo -- that has been carefully waxed into her nether locks. Gucci put the image right on its homepage: http://www.Gucci.com (you might have to hit re-fresh a few times before it comes up...if that doesn't work, click HERE).
Talk about your exploitation of sex for capitalistic gain. In Britain, decency campaigners have deluged the Advertising Standards Authority with complaints, while a journalist in London's Daily Mail wrote: "I believe the constant pushing back of limits, the transgressing of taboos, has the effect of coarsening our sensibilities, just as worms corrupt the flesh."
The debate will go on and on as to whether risqué advertising of this sort undermines society's values or merely reflects the temperament of the times. But what's certain is that advertisers will continue to place a premium on creative that not only grabs people's attention but also yields energetic public discussion beneficial to the brand.
The specifics of the ensuing discussion are not particularly important. If they were, this tactic would be overly risky, since the advertiser is unable to control what people on the street talk about, journalists write or government agencies do.
What matters from a marketing standpoint is that a general theme emerges and that the public associates the advertiser with that theme. It's worth noting that Clinton's campaign spin-doctors adopted essentially the same strategy. Their tactic was to focus obsessively on economic matters. Reporters were bored to tears, but they still reported on it -- in between dispatches about Gennifer Flowers -- and the message eventually penetrated through to the public.
An ad that both shocks and presents and old idea in a new light stands a good chance of being well received.
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Advertisers, of course, can't depend on hordes of journalists following them around and reporting on their every move. Hence, they turn to ads that titillate and scandalize.
The trick to doing this successfully is to offer the public something more than simple shock value. Shock for its own sake is banal, but an ad that both shocks and presents and old idea in a new or unusual light stands a good chance of being well received.
For instance, Gucci's display of pubic hair may break an advertising taboo, but the ad, stylishly shot by photographer Mario Testino, has more in common with art than pornography. I suspect sales of hair-wax products have been booming across Europe and Asia over the past few weeks.
In late 2000, Gucci Group's Yves Saint Laurent brand raised a similar censor firestorm with a campaign for Opium perfume featuring a naked Sophie Dahl. In Britain, the ASA banned a poster version of the ad, saying it was sexually suggestive and likely to cause "serious or widespread offence."
Given that nearly 1,000 complaints were lodged with the ASA, it's necessary to concede that a significant proportion of the population was upset by this bold display of nudity. But Yves Saint Laurent says the ad caused sales to take off like a rocket.
So, clearly, the public's mind is split on the subject as it is on so many others. And the more that people disagree, the more opportunity advertisers have to bait opponents, win new supporters and generally stir up controversy.
With consumers increasingly coming more resistant to traditional product-information advertising, you can be certain the creative shocks are going to keep coming fast and furious. 
Scott Goodson is co-founder and creative partner of StrawberryFrog, an international advertising agency that just happens to be located in Amsterdam. Employing more than 50 people from 20 different nations, in addition to a collective of talent around the globe, StrawberryFrog since its 1999 launch has worked for Ikea, Interbrew, Sony Ericsson, Levi Strauss, Sprint, Pfizer, United Pan Communications, Credit Suisse, Microsoft Corp., Mitsubishi, Swatch, Vittel Water and Xerox
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