Golden Globes Pop Culture

So of course I watched The Golden Globes on Sunday night. Honestly not because it's wildly entertaining, but because it's a piece of American pop culture that those of us in the business need to stay on top of. In particular, we have several fashion clients so I personally need to stay on the pulse.

Did the Globes satisfy? Not in the usual way. I wasn't particularly fond of Ricky Gervais this time around. As Mike Brown said in his post, it felt like he was merely trying to "one up" his last performance rather than come up with something new, fresh, and funny.

The awards themselves were pretty much standard fare. A couple touching moments, but nothing that you would say changed the world. I wish that these folks knew how to give an acceptance speech, that's for sure. They have a moment when the world is watching them to actually say something, and most of them let it slip right by.

But not Chris Colfer, who made a point about bullying and being who you are. It was a shining moment. And Claire Danes who called out the real person, Temple Gradin, who inspired her movie about a breakthrough woman dealing with autism. Conspicuously missing this year was a major "cause". No Haiti, no breast cancer, no AIDS, no homelessness ... just people in pretty clothes accepting awards.

The other thing missing was the very "in your face" bottles of Moet. They were there, but much more subtly than in prior years.

All that aside, let's face it: these awards shows, and this one in particular, is really only about fashion. And I'm ok with that. It is a piece of pop culture and it's now a part of the fashion industry marketing machine. Brand names roll off the tongue now with ease, and glam cams analyze every stitch. I'm just waiting for the "click to buy" feature to pop up. This year -- color, lots of color, with a bunch of black mixed in for good measure. And not a lot of bling.

Olivia Wilde ... OMG. Sophia Vergara ... OMG.

There are hours of coverage live from the red carpet, all the recaps post-show, and then the ultimate "Fashion Police" with Joan Rivers the next day. I am so happy to see her back, in her element, making us laugh. This is her brand and she is back to own it.

So I will admit it, I do watch The Golden Globes. Yes I am in the fashion industry so I need to, but also because it does give us a slice of our culture. An aspirational slice of our culture that does impact trends and attitudes and even shopping behaviors down the line. And in marketing, it's important to keep up with what our consumers are viewing and what is influencing them. We can't reserve our learning just to the focus group or quant study, we have to observe a little bit of it ourselves. And participate in it sometimes too.

What's your experience? Jim.