In post WWII suburbia, men wore wingtips during the day and their old wingtips in the evening.  Hush Puppies were introduced as the original "casual" shoe -- great for backyards and perfect for relaxing.

Then in the mid-1990's, just as the Hush Puppies Brand Plan was being implemented, American business went casual.  First came casual Fridays, then casual work weeks.  When Ford and IBM -- both known for dark suits and white shirts -- joined the trend, it became a revolution.Casual wasn't just for the backyard anymore, and a new market segment, "dress
casual" was born.

Jeff, with Bozell Advertising and Ayer Public Relations, capitalized on the new American dress code, developing the tagline "We Invented Casual."  It was both historically accurate and timely.  Lifestyle advertising carried the tagline.  When a major corporation "went casual", Hush Puppies ran a congratulatory ad in USA Today.  Hush Puppies, with its corporate parent, produced a video and "do's and don'ts" brochure on casual dress and sent it to corporate Human Resource directors.

Jeff and the Hush Puppies team reacted

to a changing market trend to reaffirm the brand's" casual heritage and claim a leadership position in the casual dress" segment of the market -- a segment that Hush Puppies helped create.