Marketing With Mrs. Robinson
When the location of the kickoff soiree for lead generation conference LeadsCon East (http://www.leadscon.com/) was announced, your midtown-based correspondent was jolted out of his post-lunch stupor.
All registered attendees – and only registered attendees, as it’s a closed event – have been invited by co-hosting firms Acxiom and All Web Leads to the Stone Rose, a lounge located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle.
The Stone Rose? The very spot anointed the “Best Cougar Bar” by New York magazine in 2006 (http://nymag.com/bestofny/nightlife/2006/cougarbar/), a title it has apparently never relinquished (http://www.maxim.com/humor/stupid-fun/93111/10-best-cougar-bars-in-america.html)?
Urban cougars, for the uninitiated, are women who actively seek the attention of younger men. Plug “stone rose” and “cougar” into Google, and you’ll come up with nearly 6,000 hits.
It’s not clear how the Stone Rose obtained this reputation. The lounge is run by Rande Gerber, who at 48 is four years older than his wife, model Cindy Crawford.
The venue mostly makes sense: It’s within walking distance of the conference itself, which is being held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square. But really, somebody needs to inform the party organizers that when they talk about online marketing, the word is “links”, not “lynx”.
As of this writing, the choice of location has generated few complaints. “All those cute little asses to pinch!” gushed one marketing consultant of a certain age, when informed of the location’s claim to fame.
“Mother, please!” your abashed correspondent replied.
To all who will go and pursue the wildlife, I have but one word: Plastics. (Or, at very least, latex.)
