[mnw.pm] Re: Booth Babe rant

[Elaine -HFB- Ashton]

Chris Nandor [pudge at pobox.com] quoth:
*>At 13.25 -0700 2000.07.07, Peter Scott wrote:
*>>Why anyone would think that I would be more likely to shell
*>>out large amounts of cash for a product because of the women at the booth,
*>>or because they gave me a free T-shirt, is beyond me;
*>
*>They don't.  Those things are not about selling, usually, they are about
*>getting your attention.  It is hard to get someone to look at your booth
*>unless you have name recognition or some flashy reason to get them to stop
*>and look.

And sex or even the hint of sex gets attention. I'd certainly turn my head
to see a couple of women in skin tight vinyl outfits just because it might
be interesting to see. In typically male dominated industries, booth babes
are terribly common, e.g. car shows, tractor pulls, and technology.
Pornography has long been the industry at the forefront of profitable
internet enterprises so there is something to the pricinple of 'sex
sells'. I'm no marketing guru but I understand economics and obviously
they have numbers to support the idea that booth babes at a tradeshow
increase sales. Superficial and objectifying? Sure, but if it sells why
should they care if the market doesn't?

I wasn't thrilled by the PM endorsing this same sort of
behaviour/marketing tactic, but considering that the majority of people at
YAPC & TPC are male and show no signs of there ever being an influx
of women and the men seem to enjoy this sort of thing who could blame them
for using proven techniques? Now, if we could only make vines to swing
from and loincloths mandatory for male attendees it could be very 
interesting :) 

It's not that it works that is disturbing, it's that it continues to be
acceptable in an industry that likes to claim it is not sexist and gender
neutral. 

e.