BARBERSHOP RESEARCH: MORE RELIABLE THAN A GALLUP POLL

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Through the ages, men have always known where to go to gauge other guys’ stances on issues – the Barbershop. Sports, politics, movies, which supermodel is the hottest, etc…

And that’s part of why we founded the Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club® franchise – to bring back the great tradition of guys sitting around shooting the breeze, but in a more modern, upscale environment.

That’s why we were happy to see talk show host Jimmy Kimmel take advantage of what we like to call “Barbershop Research” by conducting his own political survey in one (you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LqxEhC9EEg ).

Kimmel was concerned that, with Obama taking office, he might make a joke that might be deemed to be racist in these politically correct times. So he took his cameras into a barbershop whose clientele was mostly African-American to get the lowdown on what he could and couldn’t talk about when it comes to the Commander-In-Chief.

What he immediately discovered was that it was NOT okay to make fun of the Obama kids. Totally off-limits – total agreement from everyone. But the second thing that was brought up – the first lady’s butt – proved to be a more controversial topic. At first, Michelle’s butt was said to also be off-limits – but then, as the guys started thinking about it, they decided it was another historic first – the first First Lady with back!

Then Jimmy started asking about Obama himself. Could he compare him to the black super-nerd of sitcom days gone by, Urkel? Nah, that wasn’t cool. Well, what about Carlton, the uptight rich kid from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?” Yeah – that worked!

What didn’t go over was joking that Obama wasn’t going to get his kids that puppy he promised – he was going to give them trained fighting pit bulls instead. So, Jimmy quickly realized, he needed to drop the Michael Vick jokes…

If you haven’t seen the video, check it out, it’s hilarious – and again, it’s also a reminder of the cultural importance of the whole Barbershop scene. If more politicians did “Barbershop Research,” they’d actually know what we think of them.

Then again, maybe that’s why they don’t do it.

Try out some “Barbershop Research” for yourself at any Kennedy’s location – you can find the nearest one at http://www.kennedysbarberclub.com/kennedys-all-american-barber-club-locations – or open one of the hottest franchise opportunities available yourself by checking out http://www.kennedysbarberclub.com/open-a-kennedys-all-american-barber-club.

And remember – there’s nothing like a Barbershop if you’re in the mood for some cutting remarks.

Recommend it by clicking on the links below!