Sex sells. Sure. But a lot of things can sell. The point is, the tactics of a beer commercial or whatever the hell iPhone app Kate Upton is selling aren’t the only way to peddle your wares. In fact, when you’re trying to sell your business to lawyers and business executives in a respected business journal, sex may not sell nearly as well as, say, “a modicum of professionalism.”

The American Bankruptcy Institute’s ABI Journal included this ad:

While that might look like the ad for your friendly neighborhood strip club, that’s actually an ad for BMC Group, “a leading global provider of legal, financial and corporate information management solutions.” A global corporate consulting firm made this ad their brand. Take that, “people who know know BDO!” These folks got titties!

I mean, what the hell? Apparently, BMC is advertising their work as bankruptcy claims agents. Oh! Get it? “Noticing.” This hot mess of an inappropriate ad earned a greenlight because someone wanted to make a pun off “noticing.” Glorious.

As our tipster put it:

Imagine being a female attorney at BMC trying to be taken seriously, or a female exec at one of their clients. And it’s not just the sex angle, it’s the woman “dressing up” (or undressing) as a business man, tie and all. Aren’t women hot when they try to act like professionals?

Pretty much nails it.

But put aside BMC, where was ABI in all this? Are they so strapped for advertising dollars that they can’t be bothered to exercise some editorial control before adding a centerfold to their bankruptcy journal? Perhaps that’s where ABI is going.

Spoiler for next month’s issue: “Her turnoffs are mean people and her turn ons are walks on the beach and ‘innovative secure technology, project management services.'”