My company has always used booth babes, but I think they send a negative message — especially since our audience is about 80-percent female. How can I persuade upper-level management to reconsider this approach?

While the old adage “sex sells” may be true, disrespect does not sell — and using women as booth bait can easily be interpreted by your audience as disrespectful. Now, management may not be swayed by an argument that rests on personal feelings, but it might be by one that relies on the bottom line: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, females represent about 49 percent of the labor force, and are responsible for 83 percent of all consumer purchases. That means they wield tremendous power financially that can both reward and punish.

Also consider findings of a 2005 study by New York-based MediaAnalyzer Inc. that showed while 48 percent of men liked sexually suggestive ads, just 8 percent of women did, and nearly 58 percent of females believe there’s too much sexually suggestive advertising, compared to just 29 percent of males. This suggests your company’s management is simply not using the most effective tactic to market to its mostly female customers.

The conclusion is simple: When it comes to selling to your particular audience, management needs to know that times have changed and the company needs to change with them — or disapproving customers may make some changes of their own. e