Barefoot Candidates

I am passionate about very few things. Recruiting, of couse. Toni Morrison. Pop Tarts. And shoes. Glorious shoes. So, not surprisingly, I was easily zapped by Zappos.com's latest advertising ploy. Standing in the airport security line, in my stocking feet, I spied a brightly colored insert lining the bottom of the dull gray security bin. The online shoe retailer believes that hassled travelers, trapped in line and annoyed, might be in the market for a new pair of peep-toes. Pretty smart. After all, at that exact moment, I was shoeless. I hadnothing else to look at (at least not anything I wanted to oggle).

Turns out the TSA has jumped into the business of advertising (read the Forbes article). Recruiter-marketers will have no trouble identifying the upside of this tactic to attract talent. Who will be the first to reach senior level technical talent by sponsoring liners at the San Jose Airport? (FYI, the revenue from sponsored liners underwrite the cost of of new bins and TSA equipment; it's nice to know the bins are replaced regularly!)

Let's say you are looking for wireless communications engineers...you might be looking for a way to target IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference attendees. If you're serious about growth, you might consider buying some TSA bins at McCarren airport March 31-April 3. Think about the branding opportunity!

Recruiters, go forth and market!