“Picture it!” Golden-Con 2023, just around the corner, with “Thank You For Being A Friend!” playing everywhere at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk hotel. The convention brings Golden Girls fanatics together to pay homage to Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia from March 31 through April 2, 2023. Although the show ran years ago for seven seasons from 1985 through 1992, the classic TV sitcom continues to attract a loyal, cult-like following.
Of course, I may be biased. The four ladies hold a special place in my heart as
my mother and I enjoyed watching reruns together through my formative years.
Nuggets of life and marketing insights can be pulled from the scenarios featured
in the half-hour episodes. Key takeaways include, but are not limited to the
following:
Tackle the tough topics.
From Season 2 when Dorothy’s friend Jean comes to town and develops a crush on
Rose, to Sophia being forced to cope with her friend’s decision to end her life
in Season 5, the four ladies featured in the Golden Girls never hide from a hard
discussion or intense moment. Marketers are well served to be fearless enough
to tackle the tough topics just like the writers of this show.
(
Episode references: Season 2, Episode 5 - “Isn’t It Romantic?” and Season 5, Episode
7 - “Not Another Monday”)
When in doubt, cheesecake! This dessert has magical powers on the show.
Fanatics estimate that the ladies ate more than a hundred cheesecakes during
the run of the show to talk out their issues or problems. In one episode alone
from season four, the Golden Girls eat two cheesecakes while discussing weight
loss. While cheesecake may not be diet friendly, it offers a delicious distraction
needed to give a person a fresh perspective. A simple cheesecake break could
help uncover the solution to freshen up that stale marketing campaign.
(Episode reference: Season 4, Episode 22 - “Rites of Spring”)
Image courtesy of Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank
Always find the laugh. It’s there even in the darkest of days or the
most stressful situations. Dorothy, Blanche and Rose know that first hand while
trying to go to a Burt Reynolds movie premiere. The trio is mistaken for ladies
of the evening and arrested in a police sting operation. The laughs keep flying
through the entire episode proving the value of levity when faced with any challenge.
(Episode reference: Season 2, Episode 2 - “Ladies of the Evening”)
Image courtesy of ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Be honest. With yourself, with others, and with how you’re sharing content
with the world. In Season 1, Rose meets a doctor named Jonathan Newman and gets
involved in a serious relationship with him. When she invites the doctor over
to dinner to meet her roommates, they realize he has dwarfism. The ensuing awkwardness
shows all of us that honesty is always the best policy.
(Episode reference: Season 1, Episode 13 - “A Little Romance”)
Image courtesy of Hulu/NBC
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