Mullets and a New “P” of Marketing

Wait, how many Ps are there, again?

Like most people, we sometimes have trouble keeping track of how many Ps there are in the Ps of Marketing. Marketing textbooks and college professors long counted four and only four. But we’re marketers, we can’t just leave it alone. We have to iterate. We have to evolve. Add we obviously have to add more Ps.

As our fundamental principles modernize, we strive to make marketing plans that cover all the bases – products, price, place, promotion, people, purpose, plantains, pajamas, pickles…whatever the current recipe is, we follow it.

The P that matters most

Here at Ceres Talent, our vote for our favorite P is unanimous. In our minds, P is for PASSION. You can’t have a solid marketing program without it. You can’t have a product or service without it. (Although Mullet enthusiasts would not describe their haircut as a product or service – they would likely tell you it’s a “lifestyle”).

If you want proof that passion is essential to any mission, look no further than the ongoing buzz around the world’s weirdest hairstyle, the Mullet. The Sho-Lo. The Business-In-The-Front/Party-In-The-Rear. The Joe Dirt. No matter what you call it, the Mullet’s passionate advocates have helped to cement its place in history.

The story of the Mullet

Interestingly, the Mullet’s origins are hotly debated. Check out Wikipedia and you’ll see a section called “Mullets in Antiquity” which suggests that before Joe Dirt, before the Beastie Boys, and even before Bowie and McCartney, the Mullet was here. Some say it was worn by ancient Britains in first century AD.

The Mullet is a trend that seems to have surpassed its reasonable “shelf life.” Who would have thought it would come and go and return again so many times, never losing its luster among loyalists? It’s that favorite P again: Mullet stalwarts possess the passion to keep this dated hairstyle afloat. They rock their mullets with pride, evangelize their message through Instagram photos, TikTok videos, and Mullet beauty contests. ICYMI, the USA Mullet Championships crowned its Kid and Teen champions for 2022. Congratulations to Emmitt Bailey and Cayden Kershaw for winning the coveted prizes.

The Mullinator

Incidentally, if the Mullet message speaks to you, but you’re not ready to head to the barber shop and commit, there are other options. Download the new “Joe Dirt 2” movie-inspired app (affectionately known to our team as “The Mullinator”) and add a mullet to any photo of yourself. If you want to trick your friends into thinking you did get the cut, pick up your own Mullet-On-The-Go, a headband-turned-Mullet that gives you a temporary Sho-Lo. (Helpfully, it also comes in skullcap and visor versions, or with an optional add-on mustache.)

P is for Passion

Whether your recipe for marketing success includes 4, 5, 7, or 32 Ps of Marketing, the one we think should never be omitted is PASSION. Mullet champions have taught us that finding inspiration in the mundane leads to passion in marketing, and that’s a P we can get behind.

Registration for the 2022 Adult Division Mullet Championship is closed now, but it’s never too early to start growing your hair. You have plenty of time to perfect your style…and proudly show your PASSION for mullets in time for next year’s pageant.