Are Puppies the New Booth Babes: What Do You Think?
Walking the floor of the RSA Conference (RSAC) this year, amid the sea of booths packed with flashing monitors, cybersecurity swag and endless sales pitches, one booth stood out — and not for its tech demos or zero-day revelations. Orca Security set up a puppy pen — a roped-off area where a collection of adorable puppies scampered, tumbled and snuggled, delighting attendees and pulling in foot traffic by the dozens.
Puppies at a cybersecurity conference? It’s hard to argue with their instant appeal. Who doesn’t want to see a cute puppy playing after a long day of back-to-back meetings and sessions on threat detection and ransomware attacks? Orca’s marketing angle is that their security solutions offer “the comfort and peace of mind” that puppies supposedly symbolize. Cute, clever — but is it really appropriate?
It’s worth asking the question: Are puppies the new booth babes? A gimmick designed not to educate or inform, but purely to attract attention — even if that attention has little to do with the product being sold.
For those who don’t know, the term “booth babes” refers to the outdated (and widely criticized) practice of using scantily clad models to lure attendees to booths at tech and auto shows. In recent years, that approach has been largely phased out under pressure from industry voices calling for more professionalism and inclusivity. It’s hard not to wonder if puppies — albeit more wholesome — are filling a similar void. They’re not about technology or solutions; they’re about emotions, distraction and drawing a crowd.
And let’s be real: What do puppies have to do with cybersecurity? Orca’s message that their solutions “make you feel safe and secure” sounds good on a brochure, but it feels like a bit of a stretch. After all, if comfort is what we’re optimizing for, maybe we should also be giving away warm blankets, hosting nap pods or piping in spa music.
Dig a little deeper, and the questions get a bit more serious. The puppies themselves aren’t just “borrowed” from a local shelter or volunteer group. It turns out they belong to a for-profit company that brings puppies out for events across industries — not just tech shows, but corporate gatherings, conventions, even weddings. They handle the puppies and the attendees do not get to touch them as far as I could see. They do claim to donate 10% of their profits to humane shelters and rescue organizations, which is certainly better than nothing. But still, it leaves an uncomfortable feeling.
What about the puppies?
Imagine being a young puppy, barely a few weeks old, thrust onto a noisy trade show floor under the bright, overstimulating lights, surrounded by a mass of strangers oohing and ahing. The sound levels, crowds and handling could easily overwhelm even the most socialized pups. Are they getting the rest, care and protection they need in an environment like that?
And what happens next? Puppies are cute and irresistible when they’re small. But they grow up. Will these companies continue to care for them once they’re no longer tiny marketing magnets? Will they be adopted out responsibly? Or is there a risk these puppies are churned through a business model that treats them more like props than living creatures?
I don’t know about you, but something about this just doesn’t sit right with me. It’s not that I hate puppies — quite the opposite. Maybe that’s why it feels wrong: These adorable animals are being used to serve a marketing machine in a high-stress environment that likely isn’t in their best interest.
Am I overreacting?
Maybe. After all, no one’s forcing anyone to visit the booth. Maybe the puppies are genuinely loved and cared for, and maybe the good outweighs the questionable. Maybe, as some will argue, it’s just harmless marketing, no different from any other attention-grabbing tactic in an increasingly crowded cybersecurity landscape.
Or maybe this is just the new reality: In a world where it’s harder and harder to stand out, companies feel pressure to reach for emotional triggers rather than substantive conversations. Puppies today. Maybe AI-powered robotic puppies tomorrow — cute, programmable and ethical.
Is this really what security companies need to do now?
At a time when cybersecurity threats are more critical, more pervasive and more complex than ever, it’s a little disappointing to think that companies might need to resort to cuddly distractions rather than focusing on real conversations around risk, technology and innovation.
In a world full of real dangers — ransomware, breaches, deepfakes, AI threats — maybe we should save the puppies for a proper pet adoption fair and keep the security conference floor focused on security.
But that’s just one opinion.
What do you think?
Are puppies at tech trade shows a harmless feel-good gimmick, a clever marketing move, or a step too far?
