Expanded from his 1997 New Yorker article "The Coolhunt", author Malcolm Gladwell explores the spread of trends and cultural phenomenon in his 2000 best-selling book The Tipping Point.  To illustrate his concept, he describes the Hush Puppies "Classics" phenomenon of the mid-1990's in the book's introduction.

Describing the "grass roots" publicity campaign developed by Jeff and the Hush Puppies team, Malcolm says "... the Tipping Point came between late 1994 and early 1995....  How does a thirty-dollar pair of shoes go from a handful of downtown Manhattan hipsters and designers to every mall in America in the space of two years?"  Gladwell describes the tremendous fashion and consumer acceptance on both coasts of the US.

Jeff and the Hush Puppies team developed the publicity programs and nurtured opportunistic relationships as they arose.  They carefully fanned the flames of the phenomenon and as it grew it became the centerpiece of the brand's repositioning.