The Hat & The Power Of TV

What were people talking about after the Inauguration? Aretha Franklin’s hat! It upstaged Michelle Obama’s outfits, the cutest first children, The Oath, Revs. Warren and Lowry, and Aretha’s rendition of "My Country "Tis Of Thee." Some people liked "The Hat," some didn’t and EVERYONE was buzzing about it.

For comedians, The Hat was the subject of jokes that lasted for days. Some even wore even bigger and more exaggerated versions of The Hat.

For fashionistas and Hollywood stylists, it was an opportunity to express their expert opinions about whether The Hat was the height of fashion or the faux pas of the century.

For Newscasters, "man on the street" comments about The Hat were breaking news.

For African-Americans, The Hat was the greatest "church hat" ever; a crown and symbol of a matriarch’s status in her community.

By January 28, Designer and Milliner Luke Song of Detroit, MI who created Aretha’s signature one-of-a kind hat, had more than 3000 requests for The Hat. His replicas are selling internationally like hot cakes for the cool price of $179 each.

Luke Song and Ann Coulter will both tell you…you don’t have to be liked to get on tv and sell lots of stuff. The power is in presenting yourself in a way that gets you noticed, generates the buzz, and the leverages the media attention.