When is it Edgy and When is it Sleazy

Having a business name like Edge Communications and promising to give your business the Edge, I am left wondering how far one can go to the edge without slipping off and getting into sleazy. We all struggle with ways to stand out from the crowd. Look different. Make a splash. This weekend, one of my clients, the Vein and Laser Treatment Center is sponsoring the Just Us Girls event with Clear Channel radio. The event is being billed as the ultimate sleep-over and features businesses that cater to women. There will be free services like manicures, hair styling, vitamins, massages, and other fun things. The fun goes on after the vendors close up as guests may stay and dance the night away until they are so tired, they retire to their rooms at the Coconut Point Hyatt. There will be drinks and food and lots of frivolity. Last year's show was a blast. Moms came with their grown-up daughters, friends came and the bonds of sisterhood were evident everywhere. The venue is ripe for edginess. The client agreed to the posters that I've attached and I think they are fine, but I'm wondering where a marketer draws the line. We coined the phrase, "Get Lazed at the Vein and Laser Treatment Center" last year and are carrying the theme through this year. We decided to add these posters as well as some others that are a little less sexy. Personally, I am really proud of these posters and think Janine at Dzine Studio did a wonderful job on the artwork. The response I've gotten from some of my confidants has been positive...some remarking that sex does really sell.

Now where is my dilemma? It's my own disgust as I listened to a radio commericial for a local transmission company that gives a shift about its customers. I know this because the company told me that they give a shift about their customers right there on the radio. My first thought was, "They do what??" Then I was somewhat disgusted. It just didn't sound right. A little too crude for my virgin ears maybe. Just a few moments ago I approved a radio commercial encouraging people to get Lazed at the Vein and Laser Treatment Center. Am I just as sleazy as the "shifty" transmission people? I guess only time will tell. I will post an update as to the response we get. But I'd love to hear some opinions on the line we draw in the sand. Where is that elusive edge that we all want to live on?