It appears that the leggy car-import models used to lure the male Neanderthal buyers have now moved from the convention centers to finance centers where instead of bikinis, "blonds in Theory trousers (the rule being figure-hugging is a go, Roberto Cavalli a no)" roam the marketing departments at various hedge funds.
Much like the army of attractive pharmaceutical reps who make pitches to doctors on behalf of drug companies, these perky twentysomethings have taken over the task of luring clients for their wonky portfolio manager bosses. “Guys who have a load of money [invested] in these big funds are often pigheaded, type A male personalities,” says one male marketer by way of explaining the estrogen predominance in his field. “They want a hot chick with a nice ass and nice boobs who is going to come in and sell the fund to them. I have a friend in the industry who is drop-dead gorgeous, and even she knows that’s the only reason she has her job.”
“You meet these bimbos and they say, ‘Oh, I work at a hedge fund,’ and you think, What?!?” says one head of an investment bank who pals around with high net worth investors. “And then you realize, Oh, this is, like, the PR girl. And it’s a wildly successful strategy. The influential rich people who put money into these things like to be titillated by pretty girls.”
Why is this a big surprise? You don't need an MBA or a degree in communications or PR to know the following formula:
- Hot chicks.
- Product.
- Male customers.
- "Business meeting."
- Profit!
Read more here.
[Thanks Ashleigh]