Hank [BS/MSEE,
MSM $$$, Ph.D. Mgmt] teaches 
The following is excerpted from the 9/12/08 issue of WSJ online: and is included here for marketing ideas.
Fashion companies have discovered a lucrative new marketing vehicle: Sarah Palin.
Since John McCain chose her last month as his running mate, Gov. Palin’s personal style has sparked a buying frenzy. Many women are snapping up her choices of shoes and eyeglasses and blogging about which brand of lipstick she wears. Hairstylists and wig sellers report sudden demand for her trademark up-dos. Indeed, the brands behind Gov. Palin’s fashion taste have gone into overdrive seeking to cash in on the association.
On Wednesday, WigSalon.com issued a news release boasting that it has wigs and hair pieces “that reflect the new looks made popular by Sarah Palin,” along with style tips to “instantly” achieve the swept-back style.
“Obviously we’re going to get a jump from this,” says Joe Aronesty, owner of WigSalon.com. In the past week, the company has sold about 25 Palin-esque wigs, ranging in price from $100 to the “Bargain Sarah Palin” wig for $46. “And it’s not even close to Halloween,” Mr. Aronesty says. Early next week, Mr. Aronesty plans to send a newsletter to his 25,000 subscribers highlighting Palin wig options and styling tips.
Fashion firms have long boasted when celebrities and first ladies wore their clothing and accessories, of course. Jacqueline Kennedy lent cachet to Oleg Cassini gowns and Halston pillbox hats during the 1960s. This year, the sight of Michelle Obama in a $148 black-and-white tank dress on ABC’s “The View” in June helped popularize Chico’s FAS Inc.’s White House|Black Market brand. But the prospect of having a national candidate who is a former beauty queen and in the news every day is even better for business, many fashion companies say.
Gov. Palin’s spokeswoman, Maria Comella, declined to comment on any aspect of the governor’s personal style.
Jay Randhawa, a brand director at House of Brands Inc. in San Diego, says he was surprised to learn that Gov. Palin was introduced as Mr. McCain’s vice-presidential choice wearing a red pair of peep-toe pumps with 3 1/2-inch heels. The shoes, marketed by his company’s Naughty Monkey line, generally are geared to women in their early to mid-20s who go clubbing, he says.
“The age bracket we target is a little younger. It’s a very edgy, very hip, very street brand,” adds Mr. Randhawa.
Celebrities like Paris Hilton had been photographed in the brand’s shoes, but seldom, if ever, a 40-something politician.
Mr. Randhawa says he realized that Gov. Palin’s footwear choice offered the chance to pitch the Naughty Monkey line to a new demographic. The company quickly sent out emails to its retailers with a photo of the Alaska governor wearing the shoes and the slogan “I vote for Naughty Monkey!”
At Amazon.com Inc.’s Endless.com shoe unit, sales of the red Naughty Monkey shoes shot up 50%, to thousands of pairs, says Mr. Randhawa.
A spokeswoman for Endless.com declined to provide specific sales data but says the unit “saw definite spikes in sales after Sarah Palin wore the shoes” and sold out in four sizes. Other retailers reported similar increases.
Mr. Randhawa plans to send Gov. Palin some additional pairs of shoes and approach her about some kind of partnership. “We have to capitalize on it pretty soon,” he says.
Gov. Palin’s eyeglasses — rimless $375 frames made by Kazuo Kawasaki (style series 704, color 34) — are on back order, says Amy Hahn, vice president of Italee Optics Inc., the brand’s U.S. distributor. To keep up with orders, which have more than quadrupled since the Republican National Convention, manufacturing has shifted to a 24-hour production cycle, Ms. Hahn says.
Italee executives say they sensed a possible business opportunity when Gov. Palin donned the glasses for her formal introduction as Sen. McCain’s running mate.
Spotting the familiar frames, Italee executives dug through their records until they confirmed that the company handled Gov. Palin’s order for the custom frames in December, Ms. Hahn says. “But the turning point was at the convention,” she says. “The next day, our phone started ringing off the hook. Now we’re doing everything we can to keep up.”
John Barrett, whose salon sits in the penthouse of tony New York retailer Bergdorf Goodman, says that in the past week he has given five clients the loosely tied-back hairstyle Gov. Palin wore during the convention. “People are requesting it — it shows off the cheekbones,” says Mr. Barrett. “I can’t emphasize enough how her angled bangs and hair color are so beautifully executed.”
Online detectives, meanwhile, continue debating which lipstick brand Gov. Palin wore during her convention speech. And the Web site of beauty magazine Allure suggests “Pitbull-friendly” and “Pig Appropriate” colors to try, alluding to Gov. Palin’s joking comparison of herself to a lipstick-wearing pitbull and Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s reference to Mr. McCain’s economic policy as “lipstick on a pig.”
In her home state, retailers are looking to capitalize on the governor’s patronage. Just before she was offered the nomination two weeks ago, Gov. Palin went shopping at Out of the Closet, an Anchorage-based secondhand store, with her 14-year-old daughter Willow and her infant son Trig. She picked up a Juicy Couture coat for Willow and a tweed blazer for herself by Escada, which is one of her favorite labels, a saleswoman says.
Out of the Closet couldn’t resist some publicity. On Sept. 1, the store posted an item on its blog: “Finally, we are thrilled that our favorite Governor is making such a name for herself on the national stage! Go Girl! We love seeing you in your Out of the Closet duds!” Shoefly + Hudsons, the Juneau boutique where Gov. Palin bought the Naughty Monkey heels, has the shoes prominently displayed on its Web site declaring: “First Stop: Shoefly + Hudsons, Second Stop: Run for Vice President of the U.S.?”
If you haven’t noticed, Obama has taken to wearing white shirts, no tie, with his sleeves rolled up. So will this become the dress code for well dressed business men in the future?
Hank
It comes as no surprise to me that women are fascinated with Gov. Palin’s dress style. She is a former beauty queen & she could be the next vice president or even president for that matter, so obviously she’s doing something right. She is simply in the spot light for republicans, not McCain, so anything she does or wears will get a lot of attention. If Obama wears a white T-shirt with his sleeves rolled up, I don’t think he’ll be creating a trend or that many will even notice.
People care what these candidates wear because they have lots of money and power. More specifically, because they are running for office. Wearing what a presidential candidate wears will not make you powerful, it only shows that you don’t think what you wear is good enough. Sadly, that point seems to be lost on most people. Personally, this particular trend disgusts me. Hard work and persistence is a far better way to achieve money and power.
I don’t understand what the big deal is. Does this not happen all the time? or is this the first time that when famous people wear something it becomes a trend….?
I did my research on that shoe. Naughty Monkey, the company who makes that pump, sells high end heels. I know that this article isn’t about the shoe, but I think it still shows some relevance. They said the shoe is targeted at a younger market. I think this shows that our Republican Vice Presidential Candidate cares about her appearance and finds it important. Every woman is entitled to an awesome pair of shoes and if she can make our country better while wearing them, more power to her. So what if she makes a fashion statement along the way?
They are bloody CLOTHES. This is an election to figure out who is gonna run the country and were concerned about the damn shoes she has one, really?? I mean don’t get me wrong, props to the companies for marketing it but, I think exemplifies a lot about the American people. Now don’t take it personally but here we sit less then 60 days away from electing arguably the two most powerful people in the world and the Wall Street Journal is covering an article about Palin’s shoes, and its by no means just a simple mention of it with a focus on the companies or marketing. I really don’t care if a candidate jumps up there in a Metallica t-shirt and jeans, if thats what it takes to get the country turned around then hell I’m a Metallica fan.
I agree with Drew, the media these days will focus on anything. We are talking about the next president and vice president of the entire country, and yet we are focused on small things like shoes. On another note, this does happen a lot with celebrities and other famous stars, but I don’t think it should be like this for a presidential election, especially one as big as the one that’s going on now.
The media is ridiculous for focusing on shoes. But if I were the business owner, I would take advantage of this, and ask famous people to wear my product or use my product. This would be a great way to advertise the products.
Definitely as yuhi said and as was discussed in entr 200 this is a prime opportunity to sell products to Palin crazy customers.
I belive that Plain can do whatever she pleases to do with her money, either way I realy don’t care, however as far as I am concerned Obama can wear whatever he he pleases as well.
I think Wallstreet was just focusing on the trends. I mean day in and day out we have been focusing on what the candidates are doing and what they stand for. I think Wallstreet was just trying to mix things up for once. I mean you can only write so much over the same thing. Props to the companies for seeing a trend and acting on it. On the final question on the article, I dont think this is what business men are going to start wearing. I think the reason for Obamas “look” is to present himself as a hard worker; that when stuff hits the fan he is going to be hard at work on his job. Its just a fad statement kind of thing.
This happens all the time, which is why brands thrive to have celebrities wear their product. The UGG boots became a huge deal when all the celebrities started wearing them. Even though i personally love them, they aren’t the most attractive shoe out on the market. It doesn’t matter what the product is, if the celebrities support it, most of the common people will too.
This blog proves that the American public is not only listening to the presidential candidates but also paying attention to what they wear. It shows what power the candidates have over the public because the public is now paying attention to their style and their words this is a great fly by night oppurtunity for businesses.
The political elites are considered role models for everyone in society. They are a specific group of people who want to obtain publicity as a means of preserving their political status. By looking appealing to society, they can attract attention. After all, we are talking about them right now in this blog because we noticed something that caught our eyes-just what they wanted. The average person wants to associate with these political elites because it makes them feel as if they have a say in governmental activities; the basis of democracy. However, wearing noticeable clothing also serves as a first impression reminder; something people remember that goes a long way in making them form opinions about you without even getting the chance to know you. Overall, this is a good way for clothing companies to market their products because they know the majority of the American populous will be watching these politicians. It can be seen as a way of advertising. As a result, the more that people notice these trendy looks, the more people will buy the apparel.
I think taking and marketing a political candidate, especially one as popular as Sarah Palin, is a great idea. Even though it seems that Sarah Palin has been given a lot of flack on the TV, doesn’t mean that there aren’t thousands, if not a few million people who really like her. Marketing towards towards this goal by selling her brand of shoes, eyeglasses, etc. Is definitely a way to make money as seen here. As far as Obama’s dress style becoming the next business dress code…I personally wouldn’t mind. It beats having to figure out how to put on my tie everyday.
That’s pretty funny. I never thought about political candidates becoming leaders in fashion. We all know that movie actors and musicians have always been setting fashion standards. But politicians? It’s probably because most people don’t see politicians as cool and someone to look up to. Celebrities are worshiped by viewers and listeners, and people look up to them. It’s like when your older brother does something, and you want to do it just like him. Except politicians are seen as respectable leaders, not heroes.
I don’t think this would have ever happened with a male politician. Not saying that it’s a bad thing or anything. Just saying.
to be honest this whole situation makes me sick. good job American society on degrading ourselves, but whats new. she must make good political decisions just look at those shoes. Even though its ridiculous nevertheless its still a good opportunity for business owners.
It is like a trend that people try to imitate what the famous people do or wear. I would sponsor Sarah Palin if I own some cosmetics products and take advantage of this period. I think that’s what most of the company will do in the future.
That trend is very interesting. On the business parts that was really good fore planning. Sarah Palin is a rolemodel: attractive, smart, powerful, and professional. If I were a woman, Id want to wear the same things.
May I just say I am so excited and happy for this article. I love that business women can be fashionable and it is finally noticed. I have worked in the business world the past 2.5 years before coming to Purdue and tried to be trendy, fashionable, and business like. I am glad that Sarah Palin is doing the same. I love it and kudos to her! :o)
It is interesting to see a poltical candidate bridging the gap between young and old women with her classy sense of style. She is making a normally boring look more fun while keeping them tasteful. Palin has found a great happy medium and she looks great!
It seems that a lot of people really enjoy the way Governor Palin dresses. I didn’t think it was anything special but it has become the best advertising that most of these companies have ever had, plus its free.
Regardless the political influence behind the shoe, I love its design!
I agree to Jeffrey. I think the rise of more people’s fame can be recognized as an opportunity by entrepreneurs - like what WigSalon does.
I think it is really interesting that she has made such an impact on things just because she’s a woman and somewhat out of character of the ‘typical political figure’. the shoes themselves are super awesome but i don’t know if it is worth making a trend. what’s going to happen if her and McCain don’t win… are the shoes going to be ‘out of style’ all the sudden. it just shows that our society doesn’t have a personality of their own, they have to follow the footsteps of well-known figures.
Fashion should be the LEAST of Sarah Palin’s worries right now. She should learn how to do her job first.
I guess if your a huge Sarah Palin fan you better get on these shoes lol. They are kind of cute,but im not a heel type girl.
and they [the McCain campaign] claim Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world?
regardless, it does show how the minds of people work. Even the most trivial thing like this shows that people are followers and that what she does, people will also do
anywaysss
I agree with Tyler’s post, American standards have been lowered so much; we care about what the president wears more than what he thinks. Kind of makes me laugh. But if it works, dress him in a Hugo Boss jacket and send him down the catwalk.
I was just flipping through Time and saw a very interesting photo. The photo was taken of a group group of about 7 people from the waste down. There were 6 guys with black suit pants and black shoes on a stage, and Sara Palin wearing a skirt and high heels…pretty funny…and she’s hot!
I love the shoes. Sarah Palin has very good taste and no matter what, if you are in the spotlight you are always going to be criticized for what you wear. Sarah Palin and Barack Obama are no exception to the rules. I think that with other presidential and vice presidental candidates it hasn’t mattered as much because for the most part, they were old and not that great looking.. If you notice, people still talk about how good looking John F. Kennedy was and he isn’t even alive anymore! Peopl are always interested in hoe others look and if thet like it they usually follow that trend. I think that whether Sarah Palin makes it to the white house or not, she is forever going to remain in the spotlight for her sense of style!
More power to her. I agree with Savannah, anyone that is the center of attention and constantly in the spotlight is expected to be criticized. She has great taste! If her sense of style is the focus for criticism then I guess there isn’t much to worry about.
Hey, if you put yourself in that situation expect criticism! Stars always complain of it, I know the papparazzi is excessive, but they wanted the glam and glitz and with that comes all the extra non-perks.
The same shoe in tan also won the Shoe of the Day award for Oct 28th on SoManyShoes.com. Looks like Palin’s style had an impact on the community’s choice. http://www.somanyshoes.com/shoes/naughty-monkey-double-dare/1916