Social insights for successful brands come from real people in real places. Sonny's Cozy Tavern is one of those places. It's like every small-town beer joint across the country. The kind of place where you can learn more in a couple of hours by sitting with the characters at the bar than you could ever hope to learn in a hundred consumer focus groups. Good brands start at Sonny's.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Audacity of Fashion Hope

Innovators and opinion leaders have a powerful influence on culture, society and the brands we seek.
I have a cultural prediction:
Obama will do to the suit & tie what Kennedy did to the hat.
The Oval Office has always had a tie & jacket-required policy. You'll likely not find a single picture of a president -- or any man -- in the Oval Office sans jacket & tie. Until today. On his first full workday at The Capitol, President Obama removed his jacket and declared the Oval Office a more relaxed, less stuffy place. Dare I say, a hipper place. Where people can roll up their sleeves and actually work.
When JFK became the first high-profile man to doff the hat, it sent a signal that changed our culture. I think 44 will do the same. Suit with open-collar shirt, okay. Shirt & tie with no jacket, yep.
Maybe we'll all be more reasonable and productive if we can breathe. For this thick-necked bartender it offers hope.
What do you think?

5 comments:

Edword Woolsey said...

A reflection of what this President is about. Cool and composed.

Average Jane said...

Welcome to the world of blogging! If you're interested in diving in with both feet, let me know and we can talk about the local blogger groups, the Kansas City Social Media Club, etc. :)

Celeste

Unknown said...

If the rush to JCrew for the latest and cutest fashion for 7 and 10 year olds is any indication of the influence the first family fashion has on society, a jacketless oval office is a safe bet.

Mo said...

Actually, I think ol' Billy Clinton dared to don his running shorts in the OO once in awhile...and let's face it, no one looks good in running shorts!

Welcome to the blogging world, Butch!

Bruce said...

I don't know about that Mo. Have you seen Oprah?