Everyone Loves Buttons.

One of the things I do is cover regional or even local stories that may not be as glamorous as a big-budget Nike campaign, but nonetheless, it’s still important to the smaller brands.

At one time or another you deal with t-shirts and other merchandise for a variety of promotions, or someone in production does. Comes with the territory. Conversely, if you’re the t-shirt guy, you’re always hoping to get an order from the agency handling Pepsi. Until then, you field calls from the coach of the local soccer team who needs a dozen in blue with team logo—by this Saturday.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Or maybe you’re the button lady. You’ve been open for a decade or so and have done fairly well for yourself. And then Fred Thompson calls you and says “Set me up: buttons, mugs, shirts, caps, etc.”

Now, regardless of political affiliation, Democrat, Republican or maybe undecided, this is Fred calling. You don’t say no—you open a store.

No longer are you the button lady, you’re the button lady for Fred. Sure “FredHead” might not roll off the tongue quite the same way “I LIKE IKE” did, but who’s arguing.

This is Fred.

Subsequently however, Fred doesn’t listen to yours truly, and has to bow out of the race.

You’re not mad. Oh no, not in the least. After all, it was a nice run while it lasted. The name alone will carry a lot of weight when you pitch Jeb Bush’s people for that 2016 run.

But then Fred does something unexpected. He decides to keep the store open as a way to say thank you to all his supporters.

No, he isn’t giving stuff away.

Thank you in this case means the general public gets the privilege of still having campaign merch available to buy. Maybe for you to use on eBay circa 2062, or in a time capsule if that’s how you roll.

But it’s also a thank you to the suppliers who made the buttons and the shirts used to woo the masses. To a small company like that in an industry like that, that means something. While it may not be as glamorous as that Nike work, getting to say you did all the merchandise for Fred Thompson’s presidential run is like an art director or copywriter being able to say they had a spot run during the Super Bowl.

Cue the Real Men of Genius Script-O-Matic saluting the button people if you must, but I’m guessing ELB is pretty glad they took that call from Fred.

Tags: Fred Thompson