SES NYC expo center a joke?

[Marcia]

>>girls in baby t's wit the slogan "want to be on top".

The sad thing is that they more than likely don't care if they've offended anyone by demeaning women in that way.

It doesn't matter what they make - it can't be near as much as Heidi Fleiss made. Or Linda Lovelace, either. Why doesn't everyone tell their little baby daughters to shake their boodies for a living when they grow up because it pays well. How about sending their childrens moms out to do it? To become a "girl" and make merchandise of her physical being because "sex sells" and pays well.

Sorry, but it may be OK for a bachelor party or girls' night out, but in a professional environment that includes men and WOMEN (not girls) - both genders - it's inappropriate, crude and vulgar.

[seomike]

personally I like the slogan "In there like a thong" better but it's has nothing to do with our industry. Sex sells I'll be the first to admit it http://www.seo-max.com/images/rankings.gif <-- no T and A here and she gets all sorts of compliments.

[Marcia]

http://www.seo-max.com/images/rankings.gif

There is actually an intelligent message there with fully clothed people. It isn't a titty show.

[Chris Boggs]

I don't recall this outrage when Instant Position shared it's "What's your favorite position? Always on top." logo. I guess since we did it tongue-in cheek (and didn't have said models) it was different. I walked past the t-shirts and straight to the CEO, who was in fact on hand and ready to do business. I also cannot believe the outrage over this marketing ploy. I was not offended and the booth was packed when I stopped-by...

By the way they have a very cool toolbar I think...

[I, Brian]

Yup - sex sells. Or so the mainstay of advertising seems to think so. If SEO Inc are using it then maybe it's a symptom of search moving ever more mainstream. In which case, I should expect we'll get more as the industry opens up and pitches to a lower denominator.

[Marcia]

working probably on thousand leads

Well it sure sounds like they got plenty of bounce to the ounce for their advertising expenditure.

[DarkMatter]

I was there, I thought the girls were very cute and they gave me a free t-shirt.

I think calling it a titty show is a little ridiculous, and there were attractive ladies in tight clothing in many of the booths. It strikes me as a little ironic that marketers are getting offended by a marketing technique that is used in virtually every industry and has been for decades. God forbid we should have a little fun.

That being said, I found the conference to be very productive and informative, but the expo was definitely lacking.

[orion]

I feel Jupiter Media should not allow this to happen again at a SES conference.

When conference organizers allow a company to use SEX or hooter-type girls as a promotional tool in an expo technical booth then this could open a can of worms hard to stop. Things can get ugly really fast. This is bad taste pr.

I fully support and believe in Jupiter Media and know they will do the right thing about this. Ultimately is responsibility from those presenting at the booths (each and every one of the individual companies) to make a decision that go with the decor, respect and proper impression in public.


Orion

[Elisabeth]

Of course sex sells. we all know that as marketers, so within context, it's fine.

But we're not selling beer or porn, nor the other cliches. there are several well known trade shows for adult related businesses - that's where that stuff belongs. not a few blocks from madison avenue.

And I do think their stunt is wrongly making assumptions about the mainstream SEM community & prospective clients. Namely, the implication that men are the influencers in charge of making hiring/purchase decisions when it comes to SEO vendors. To any professional woman of decision making levels, and who is as capable as her male counterparts, it is indeed insulting.

As a female SEO, I do find it highly disrespectful to the women who have helped build this industry into what it is and helped make it a respectable profession.

this definitely reminds me of the company who Jupiter didn't allow to exhibit one San Jose show (due the inappropriate sexual nature of their business) and hired the pornstar/stripper dressed in silver to walk around the expo hall with the dot-com printed on her. Didn't really win too much favor then either.

[dannysullivan]

Catching up on some reading as I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my flight back to the UK!

First, let me say that I don't oversee the expo side of the events. I deal purely with the sessions.

Having said this, I'd like like to see the booth babes and potential booth dudes disappear from future shows.

Someone mentioned the booth babes to me earlier this week, joking that SEM must really be a mature industry now, if we get booth babes at a trade event.

I laughed as many others I know have (of both sexes) on hearing this initially. But as I've talked with a number of people later in the week, you could tell that many of us weren't really that comfortable with the change.

Well, I guess it's inevitable. Actually, it isn't. As an industry, we can indeed say that we don't want to follow down this particular road, when it comes to events. And I hope that we do not.

Jupiter could potentially ban this type of activity, and I'll raise that with them. However, I'd rather see SEM exhibitors anywhere simply embrace of voluntary code of not having them. No joke, I can see them posting somewhere in their booths a short statement:

We We Don't Have Booth Babes Or Dudes
We don't employ scantally clad women or men in our booth because we feel you should pay more attention to what we can do to your conversion than your limbido. Don't you? Thanks for your understanding.

SEM has a very high number of women working in it, and the number of SEM firms headed by women are also high. SiteLab (Dana Todd), WebMamma (Barbara Coll), Jill Whalen's company, Beyond Ink (Anne Kennedy), Alchemist Media (Jessie Stricchiola), Bizresearch (Laura Thieme), Range Onine (Cheryle Pingle & Misty Locke) and there are many others. I'm going to do an article following up on all this to explain more.

But the main point is that the booth babes are indeed yet another milestone for SEM. And I won't assign fault to those who've already done it, in that many companies big and small in other industries have done the same. But I would like to see SEM firms in this industry -- this industry full of smart women driving it forward -- to say that booth babes and dudes are just not for us. You want dazzle? Then sit down, and we'll talk conversions.

[Nacho]

Originally Posted by dannysullivan

SEM has a very high number of women working in it, and the number of SEM firms headed by women are also high. SiteLab (Dana Todd), WebMamma (Barbara Coll), Jill's company, Beyond Ink (Anne Holland), Alchemist Media (Jessie Stricchiola), Bizresearch (Laura Thieme), Range Onine (Cheryle Pingle & Misty Locke) and there are many others. I'm going to do an article following up on all this to explain more.

And our very own SEW Forums Editor Elisabeth Osmeloski, among many others.

[binteractive]

Did anyone notice that there were 2 females (professionally dressed) employees in the SEO booth? I did, and had the pleasure of speaking to one of them. She was very knowledgable and professional. I also noticed at least 3 women come by the booth while I was there and ask for the shirts worn by the models....one of these women was working in the booth of another "unnamed" seo company. Of course women deserve attention for outr intellect, but there is nothing wrong with having a pretty face in the booth. Its not as if these girls were wearing g strings or bikinis, they all wore appropriate slacks. What I saw wasn't anything different than what is seen at the mall every day.

I do hope that Danny's prediction comes true and that these tactics are banned at the next show.....because I can't wait to see what SEO Inc will do to creatively attract attention to their booth.

[Elisabeth]

Originally Posted by binteractive

Did anyone notice that there were 2 females (professionally dressed) employees in the SEO booth? I did, and had the pleasure of speaking to one of them. She was very knowledgable and professional. I also noticed at least 3 women come by the booth while I was there and ask for the shirts worn by the models....one of these women was working in the booth of another "unnamed" seo company. Of course women deserve attention for outr intellect, but there is nothing wrong with having a pretty face in the booth. Its not as if these girls were wearing g strings or bikinis, they all wore appropriate slacks. What I saw wasn't anything different than what is seen at the mall every day.

fair enough points. if those girls are cool with the models representing the company they're involved with, that's great for them. but don't underestimate the impact it may have had on outsiders.

everyone wants the swag shirts, no matter what they say - hey, i made sure to get my teeny weeny urchin girlie shirt too - but if i want a tiny tee w/ sexual innuendo I'll buy & wear it at appropriate places.

i think danny's right - the dazzle shouldn't be about the pretty faces (male or female) But results like conversions.

[GOTseo]

As a female SEO, I do find it highly disrespectful to the women who have helped build this industry into what it is and helped make it a respectable profession.

Well spoken

[lorenbaker]

Although I did snap a pic of the SEO Inc girls and post it on my blog, I wouldn't suggest such T&A for SES shows.

On the other hand, besides SEOInc, the other SEO/SEM booth which seemd to actually had constant visitors seemed to be KeywordRanking.com.

I would like to see more Samuels Adams kegs at the exhibits. One foreign language SEO company, Universal Engine, had a kegerator right at their stand on the second floor.

Stuck around for a couple and then went back down to hang out with the SEO Inc people (just kidding).

[Marcia]

A picture is worth a thousand words:

The booth babes, in the flesh.

[dazzlindonna]

That's what all the fuss is about? I was imagining something more along the lines of a wet tshirt contest. My daughter wears those kinds of shirts every day. Maybe I'm just immune to it, since I see it 24/7. Seems like much ado about nothing to me. But everyone is entitled to their opinions. <shrugs> Back to work...

[Jill Whalen]

But I would like to see SEM firms in this industry -- this industry full of smart women driving it forward -- to say that booth babes and dudes are just not for us. You want dazzle? Then sit down, and we'll talk conversions.

Guess I might as well cancel that gym membership and forget about that bikini I was looking at for my next SES presentation then.

[randfish]

The picture doesn't do it justice though, there was something overtly off-putting about their appearance and if I were a woman, I would have been at least perturbed. Well, actually, I'm a man and I'm perturbed...

I like what you said Danny - let's make it voluntary and be proud of the fact that we don't need tactics like that to attract attention. I think there are far more creative ways to get a reaction. For example, a "watch me spam" party, where we all run Fanto-fun machines for a couple minutes and see if the phrase "50,000 bloggers can't be wrong" really is true.

[howell]

It seems like none of you have been to trade shows before. Booth babes have been a norm for years. In fact I don't think I've ever been to a show where there were none in sight.

SEO/SEM is only going to become a bigger industry and the shows are going to reflect that. I'm sure you all know trends of this business and that we haven't even seen it's full potential yet. As in any other industry as it expands companies have to market themselves to get noticed, escpecially when they aren't one of the major sponsors or a speaker. I have friends that went to the show both male and female, nothing was distasteful at all from they said. I agree with them after seeing the pic that was posted.

Maybe SEO Inc. is the first to do this at this show. I'm sure others will follow at other shows since I heard there booth was pretty busy. Plus as someone mentioned earlier it has all of YOU talking about it. I'm a marketing person and have been in charge of marketing many trade show booth campaigns and this to me was successful marketing.