Mr. Marketing: Can an ad ever be too appealing?

I’ve written before about how newspapers are primarily geared towards those over 50. As a newspaper columnist, I naturally find the situation deplorable.

If only there was a way to get teenagers to pay attention to print. After all, without readers advertisers naturally disappear. Without advertisers, newspapers vanish.

So I was delighted during a recent college visit to see my daughter’s school publishes a daily paper with news appealing to their audience.

But is some of the newspaper too appealing? Display advertising on the back (sports) page tout lap dancing at local establishments. “Age 18+ Welcome” they announce.

One might question the participants of these enterprises, but lap dancing is a legitimate business. As a marketing consultant, I’d naturally suggest alternative audiences for expanding their revenues. Nearby college students are a logical target.

Furthermore, positioning ads on the sports page targets primarily males while ensuring all readers quickly see the ads. Offering a discount with a college ID is also a smart move.

Hence my dilemma. Raising a daughter has stripped me of my libertine ways. Recognizing the lustful thoughts of teenage boys, I seek more wholesome activities for me and mine.

Lap dancing doesn’t make it onto my radar.

A recent study showed freshman women have a 20 percent chance of being attacked on campus. My daughter’s black belt notwithstanding, this statistic gives me pause.

I’d like to believe 18-year-old boys can see women gyrating on their laps, leaving them frustrated and/or aroused, and think nothing more of it. I’d also like to believe in Santa Claus.

I don’t really see either happening.

I’m realistic enough to recognize the campus newspaper needs the advertising dollars, and the “club” needs the newspaper. It’s the most efficient way to reach this audience.

And I’d never suggest censorship, which is far too slippery a slope at the best of times.

With our society increasingly polarized, it’s a can of worms even the father of a daughter won’t open.

Which leaves me with…nothing. I get everyone’s perspective. It’s a legitimate business. Their marketing makes perfect sense. Nobody holds a gun to anyone’s head forcing them to go for a lap dance.

I get it. I just wish things were somehow different.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.