I’m going to rant on about something that happened at Affiliate Summit East, and I know I’m not the first and probably not the last. Credit where credit is due… I owe the rants of Karen Garcia (I’m sorry…why are you here?) and Jen Goode (Professional events and sexual harassment, when did that become ok?) to remind me why this kind of thing isn’t right. And make me feel the need to write something about it.
So, if you weren’t there, heres the gist – a network decided to hire two girls in very small bikinis to promote a new network that’s starting soon. It’s actually appropriate consider that the concept of the network, apparently, is that they only hire female affiliate managers who look good in bikinis and will be talking to affiliates while wearing said bikinis. And this genius idea has been dubbed – wait for it = Bikini Babes Network. SIGH. At least, that’s all these “representatives” could tell people since the CEO didn’t make it to the show because of some travel/customs issues.
First of all, it’s insulting. It’s insulting to every woman working in our industry. Whether or not you look good in a bikini, it’s degrading to know that someone gave you business just because of your body and not because you’re good at what you do. It devalues them as a person. I hate to speak ill of fellow women that I don’t even know and pass judgment, but I’d assume that the women agreeing to work for this network are in dire straights in terms of needing the job. I’d personally sooner work at a retail register than be hired based on my appearance alone. Or, they’re not bright enough to realize what a joke this is, which means they probably won’t be taking home Affiliate Manager of the Year trophies any time soon.
As I walked around one day during the conference, the bikini babes in question were loitering near a booth featuring a Ducati motorcycle in their booth area. I say loitering, because these women knew nothing of affiliate marketing or the rest of the conference, and didn’t actually have a booth of their own to post in, so they were wandering around distracting others. I was not surprised to walk by and witness no less than 5 men attempting to talk the girls into sitting on the Ducati so they could get a picture. They scrambled to get a camera, and finally ended up with some dude’s iPhone. Was this picture for their website? Probably not. Did it have anything to do with business? Absolutely not. I was distinctly witnessing a male adolescent fantasy in action. And if felt dirty.
Besides being insulting, it’s inappropriate. While Affiliate Summit does not enforce a dress code, they do suggest business casual as the way to go. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting this on Affiliate Summit in any way considering they had no way of knowing in advance the company’s marketing tactic. However, It’s my opinion that people need to remember that their companies are sending them to this conference to drive business, not to gawk at bikini babes. If everyone else remained professional and ignored these women, companies would stop using them and we could all go back to civilized working conferences. What affiliate would take this kind of network seriously and decide to work with them? I can only imagine anyone working with them might try the network out of sheer morbid curiosity. Otherwise, they’re not an affiliate I necessarily care to work with if the lure of bikini clad affiliate managers honestly drew them in.
There have been issues with “booth babes” at the conferences in the past. The first show I went to, Affiliate Summit East 2007, some legitimate employees from one merchant company dressed as naughty, goth school girls – highly inappropriate considering their product was a reading learning system for children! And almost every conference in Las Vegas features some kind of showgirl on loan or naughty nurses asking people to enter to win a Hummer (the car, not… the other thing). A lot of people defend these kinds of attention-getting antics as “par for the course” or claim these babes can sell anything (as probably proven by beer commercials around the world). But should they?
It seems there’s always a backlash afterward, and many affiliates elect not to partner with such companies that attempt fleshy stunts to gain attention. Reputable affiliates, the ones that are most likely to make a company money, chose ethics over babes and go with the merchants, networks, and other vendors that take their businesses seriously and don’t jump to sell using sex. Case in point – I haven’t seen the company whose employees dressed as goth school girls exhibit at an Affiliate Summit since, yet their company still exists. People remember. Do you remember what the naughty nurses were selling along with entering to win a car? Me neither… I’m fairly sure the company doesn’t exist. And by January and Affiliate Summit West 2011, most people will probably laugh off the Bikini Babes Network as another flash-in-the-pan CPA network that quickly went the way of the dodo (if they ever actually launch).
Here’s the moral of my story, folks. If you’re going to do something attention getting for your business, do it with class. Inject some wit, and style, and people will remember you positively. That’s how you gain attention for your business and leave an indelible, positive impression with someone. Stay classy, businesses.
BTW… Class from Chicago is a great song, and it’s where I stole my headline from.
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