In general, I don’t think that Hooters should try to be something it isn’t. As long as it is called Hooters, and as long as there are the “Hooters Girls” with tight shorts and half-shirts, it will never be a casual place for women to hang out on a regular basis. One thing I actually appreciate about the Hooters brand is that it is exactly what it purports to be – a place for men and their buddies to escape for a few hours with some beer and wings, eye-level with a voluminous pair of, um, hooters.

Don’t get me wrong – I will never condone the objectification of women, but I’ve been to Hooters and – much to my surprise - it really wasn’t that much different from any other casual bar without the Hooters brand name. It’s well-lit and not at all seedy. And, while it is a bit tacky, that tackiness is the brand. Plus, the servers (the “Hooters Girls”) wear tights under those orange shorts, and they wear white sneakers. It’s strange – they are scantily clad, but more in an “I’m about to do an aerobics class” kind of way than a “bowtie and bunny ears” kind of way.

I think the advertising campaign for the Hooters Casino Hotel – again, if executed carefully – is a starting point for Hooters to shift the brand in toto. It would be one of the first establishments of its kind to recognize that today’s marketplace isn’t about marketing to either men or women anymore, it’s about understanding people’s lifestyles. Today’s consumers are savvy and educated but not closed-minded; they are open to being surprised and impressed by brands that transform themselves into something better and more reflective of the times. If Hooters’ efforts to target women are successful, it would prove that the Owl has seen much more than cleavage over the past 14 years.

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