TheLadders.com Goes Down a Rung or Two

The Ladders promises to make you "irresistible" to $100K+ employers with their new 2011 TV campaign. The ad attempts to mimic high fashion ads, revealing slow-motion glamour shots of men and women moving seductively and posing in alluring positions.

As a planner, I get the idea behind the campaign: How can I make myself irresistible to employers who are willing to pay me what I deserve? I'm on board with this insight - it's a question most job seekers think about when making a career change.

But, that's where my fascination with this ad stops.

I find it contrived, over-the-top, and, frankly, insulting. As a female Baby-Boomer, I remember the days when women that rose to the top of the corporate ladder were often talked about with a wink and a nod and the question, "I wonder what she did to get to the top?"

This ad treads way too closely to those not-so-distant memories. As such, it has caused me to look at TheLadders.com in a whole new light ... most likely, a light that was not intended by their marketing team.