What do YOU look like?
How important are looks?
Over my years as a spokesperson for the various companies I have worked for, one overwhelming fact continued to be true - that looks to affect how people view you - and that is most important in your Public Relations activities.
A few years back, I was going on tour with one of my Marketing Managers in Europe. A couple of facts, a) my Marketing Manager had never done a tour before and was extremely nervous about doing it, b) she (yes, a woman) was absolutely beautiful, c) she was from Romania and liked to dress like a Romanian woman, and d) she knew French and English (along with other languages that were not important in Europe).
I knew that I had to address some of these items so that we could get the best response from the editors and analysts that we would be meeting.
First, we went through an extensive media training course so that she would be able to do the interviews (instead of me).
Second, we made her beauty an asset. Any man, and any appreciateve woman, would recognize the beautiful woman that she was - and I did not want that to be wasted. She dressed, what I can only call, severly. She would pull her hair back into a ponytail, TIGHT!!! So that she looked "severe". Wore very little make-up and wore clothes with very little color.
It was extremely difficult for me to tell her that I did not like the way she dressed and that I wanted her to change her looks. In America, I knew that I would be sued in a second, and my many years of managing American's made me leary of approaching her, let alone discussing this. But, she took it the way I thought she would, as a professional and someone who wanted to improve herself and make a success of the tour. But, I did, and she did.
We went on tour, and WOW, it was great, the sexist French editors could only stare at any part of her body below her face, but, she was good, making sure to remind them to "write this down" so that they would have a story when we finished.
I must admit, what I wrote above did not occur on the first day, but, by the third day of the two week tour, she had it down cold and was able to pitch the story as well as interact with any men that appreciated her looks.
I am not sexist, but, I am a realist and know that men appreciate having a beautiful woman in their office (or be seen walking one down the hallway of their office).
Another example of this, done a little more blatantly, was something one of my companys competitors did back in the early 1990's.
The year was 1991, the company I worked for - Nintendo, our competitor - Sega.
Sega, to get the story, and to get the sale, hired Playboy Bunnies as their spokespeople, as well as their "honorary salespeople".
Not only did editors and analysts "appreciate" having Bunnies come in and speak with them, but, buyers from all the major toy retailers "demanded" to have meetings with Sega salespeople (as long as the other sales people came along - hint hint).
Sex sales. Yes, it is hard to accept (if you are a woman that doesn't appreciate what she has and how to use it). But, years ago, seeing a woman get an interview and me not, showed me that a) looks sale, and b) sex sales.
As for you men, you still have to dress nice. Smell nice. And above all, be sincere.