Flash or Substance.....

I attended 3 trade shows in 3 days this month.

Two shows were straight-laced. The third was like a 70's flashback. It featured performance car parts. Scantily-clad women with no product knowledge. And a lot of male buyers. I watched in confusion. I thought this tactic had gone the way of the leisure suit.

Using pin-up models to sell hood scoops is called "borrowed interest". Men may stop. But they're ogling the presenter, not the product. I'm not convinced building traffic like this is building sales. It isn't even a case of selling the sizzle vs. selling the steak. The model isn't WEARING the hood scoop. She's not an expert. She's not a customer. She's just there to draw attention.

Avoid borrowed interest. It's a waste of time and money. Instead, use your marketing to pre-qualify prospects and pre-sell them by demonstrating benefits. A classic study of ads shows that ads with headlines that relate to a problem or product are more effective than provocative, but unrelated headlines.

Now I have nothing against hiring attractive women or men to work a show. They just need some background, product training -- and a little more clothing.


- Phil Sasso