Thinking of Hiring Male Promotional Staff for Upcoming Events?

Recently we got a call at the office, it was an excited young female executive looking for a quote for an event, where they would be employing a team of male promotional staff. It’s not that it was unusual for us to get such a request, we have a wide variety of men on our roster, but most of the time, the requests are for a mix of men and women, or for women only.

So what was different about this event? Well, girls just want to have fun! We love events that allow us to get together, have a few cocktails, and share lots of  laughs! As constant care-givers, women multitask to no end, thinking of everyone else’s schedules and needs to the point where we often neglect our own.

Once in a while, it’s nice to get out, relax, and be pampered! This is why so many special events and fundraisers are geared towards women only.  There are a multitude of ways to bring females together- jewelry parties, pot-luck dinners, book clubs, fashion shows, clothing swaps, slumber parties, dance-club nights, spa days- the list goes on and on.  Marketers often have their eyes set on the female consumer, after all, it is a fact that we females do more of the spending so it’s understandable that we are the targets of campaigns and promotions.

According to Martha Barletta, author of Marketing to Women, women are the primary decision-makers for consumer goods in 85% of households. They influence at least 80% of all household spending.

With this in mind, we must now come to the question that if females are the primary targets, why isn’t there more of ‘market’ for male promotional staff?

I got in touch with one of our male event staff from B.C, Ron Wear.  He was given the option to work one of two events that ran on the same day, and was adamant about working the ‘all-male’ event, saying: “I think it’s awesome having more men in the promo world!”  This was an odd statement to me, as looking around, I didn’t see a shortage of male promotional staff or males in marketing. So I asked him to explain; this is what he said ::

“I truly believe that clients and even to a lesser extent the public look at promotional modeling as a female only or female dominated position. I strongly disagree as I feel that people purchasing items or want information further about items being promoted can easily be done so by either gender and shouldn’t be stereotyped. I’ve dealt with many situations as a male in the field of working promotions where people have used a combination of male/female or even in some cases male-only promotional staff to push their branding.

But it’s more often the case that clients automatically think of females in promotions/modeling because that’s what’s been ingrained in them for so many years and just accepted as the norm. Have you ever seen a ‘Red Bull’ male promo model? Let me know if you do!  You alienate and narrow down your demographic when you use women to ‘decorate’ a product by giving them a small outfit, and assume that males can’t be used as attractive marketing options because of stereotypes.

By giving both genders equality in this work force, it makes a huge impact on who you are able to reach out to and only increases the reach that a brand can have. With the population in British Columbians being 54% female … Why wouldn’t there be more male options in the promotions/modelling world?

I noticed a new promotional company that employ solely male promotional staff  (*Which is super rare but a breath of fresh air to have more options as male promo model) here in Vancouver – It’s a good but uncommon sight to see a company giving men a fair shake for work with so many of men overlooked in this industry.”

It was interesting to see the marketing world from a man’s perspective, to see it as an industry that values of women to sell products to men and women alike.  I could understand Ron’s point of view; working full-time in an industry that searches out the beauty of women to drive desire in men and in women both, would make for difficult competition.  Men are attracted to the models, and women want to be like the models, to feel more attractive.  It was quite the dilemma.

I was happy at this point to offer Ron, as well as some of our other male promotional staff the chance to work for this all-male event once we were given the go-ahead.

The client is CKNW 980 AM Talk-Radio, based in Vancouver B.C.  CKNW has sponsored a charity golf tournament raising funds for Autism research.  The fundraiser is geared towards women in the media–220 prominent media, business, athletic & political celebrities who are dedicated to the cause and keen to see what’s out there in the marketplace. For their part, CKNW wants to ensure these ladies have a great time on their girls day out!

For this activation, the men were part of the ‘CKNW Valets’: sophisticated, professional looking gentlemen in tuxedos who will ‘wait’ on the women at their golf hole.  The men will pamper the ladies by holding umbrellas to shade them, brush the green before they putt, escort them to their golf ball, offer cold beverages from silver platters, pose for photos etc.  This golf tournament is for fun-loving females looking to spend some time golfing  (or not golfing) with a fellow group of dynamic women, all with the intention of having a pampered and fun time, while raising funds for the Pacific Autism Family Centre.

Ron, along with the other men hired for this event are more than happy to oblige by dressing up and ensuring that the ladies in attendance have a great time! They suited up and showed off their charm while encouraging the ladies to raise funds for BC’s special needs children on Friday September 26th at the Musqueam Golf/Learning Centre in Vancouver.  

If you or your company are looking to hire some dashing, charismatic, and enthusiastic male promotional staff for your upcoming event click here or give us a ring at 647-286-9392  for a quote today!