I was speaking with a fellow from the pawn industry the other day and I asked him if business was up since the popular show Pawn Stars began running on the History Channel. He said that between the economy and Pawn Stars, things had picked up quite a bit. He then laughed and added that shows like Pawn Stars and Antiques Roadshow have convinced everyone that they have treasures worth millions in their attics.
That conversation got me to thinking about how our entertainment choices influence our behavior. Between 1978 to 1985, for example, a lot of men and women took classes to become paramedics or firefighters, likely in response to the show Emergency, which ran on NBC from 1972-1977. And I once saw an estimate that The Love Boat, which ran from 1977 to 1986, has generated over $3 billion in sales for the cruise industry.
Before joining Quirk’s, I worked in the horse/rider industry and one of my clients told me that when Urban Cowboy came out, he couldn’t keep cowboy hats in stock. A new batch would show up on Friday and be gone by Monday.
The same person told me he used to have a musical instrument store back in the 1960s and when the Beatles exploded, the guitars flew off his shelves. On Saturday mornings, the line of young boys waiting to be the next John, Paul or George would stretch around the block.
More recently, AMC’s Mad Men has been credited with bringing back the cocktail and influencing the worlds of fashion and interior and graphic design.
So next time you’re watching a hit TV show or movie, or listening to The Next Big Thing in the music business, ask yourself, what impact could this have on our culture? Does it have the power to empty store shelves, propel an entire industry or change people’s lives? If so, how can our company be a part of it?