Sex.Com in Wall Street Journal

[SexSpaceman]

Sponsorship Search

Sex.com , a search Web site for sex-related topics, tried to sponsor a booth at a search-related advertising conference recently but was denied a sponsorship position by the conference's organizers, Jupitermedia Corp. So, Sex.com decided to hire a "walking booth."

The booth turned out to be a scantily clad, long-legged brunette who sauntered repeatedly through the exhibit floor of the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose one day last week. She wore a bikini bottom, a mesh skirt and high heels. Her torn T-shirt -- with the words "Galaxy Search.com" on it -- showed off her decolletage. Adult-video aficionados among the crowd might have recognized the woman as Kym Wilde, a popular porn star.

Grant Media LLC, a San Francisco company, owns the Sex.com and the GalaxySearch.com Web sites. Both are search sites, but only one is associated with the adult industry. Steve Klopf, the chief operating officer of Sex.com and Grant Media, said he was angry that he wasn't allowed to sponsor a booth at the show and wanted to make a point. "Here's us," he said, "We're not afraid to be part of the adult industry."

Alan Meckler, chief executive of Jupitermedia, acknowledges that Sex.com wasn't allowed to have a booth at the show. "The overwhelming majority of companies would've held it against us," he said. But Mr. Meckler had no problem giving props to Grant Media: "This is the most creative way of someone getting booth space without paying for it."

[sherie]

Classic!