Marketing 1959

Think you're a marketing guru?


In 1959 leggings were not a fashion statement.  They were, for the purposes of this discussion, what a 6 year old boy wore to school in winter when his Mom was feeling specially cold.

As with galoshes--a medieval form of footwear designed to torture enemies by forcing their children to wear them to school, leggings were an embarrassment.  They were a scarlet letter, a hair shirt, the wrong team jersey worn on Superbowl Monday.

Then, one day, they were no longer leggings, courtesy of one of my friends.  They were now ski-pants--and they were cool.

Flash forward: 1964. Penny Loafers. Ugh!  (I had a pair of Beatles Boots!)  They, too, were a target of derision.  Then, again, courtesy of my buddy who showed up for school in a pair of penny loafers.  They were no longer penny loafers.  They were now Weejuns.  And they were cool.

When and where did I learn marketing?  In 1959.  In the first grade.  That is when and where I learned how to spin.

Grade one, my buddy is running for Class President.  I must have been one of the cool kids.  I was one of two people chosen to count the ballots.  It was a close race.  One vote decided the outcome. 

The last vote was written on a piece of blue paper.  It was for my buddy.  The vote was cast by a mutual friend.  The friend who was responsible for our friend being elected.  How so?

As he informed us that he knew that the blue piece of paper would be the last one chosen.  Spinmeister.

And you consider yourself a marketing guru because you studied marketing?

I've been studying marketing since your parents were forced to bear the shame of wearing  galoshes to school.

Warmest regards, 

Slim

slimfairview@yahoo.com

Copyright (c) 2013 Slim Fairview
All rights reserved.