The three contemporary icons I have identified are Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Mountain Dew and Tiger Woods.

Harley Davidson is an american motorcycle company started in 1903 by William Harley and Arthur, Walter and William Davidson.  The company has sold many styles of motorcycle throughout the years but today focuses on heavyweight designs meant for cruising the highways and byways with at least a 700cc engine.  The company sold out to AMF in 1969 and almost went bankrupt due to the new style of mangement and suffered from a drastic drop in quality.  The company was bought by a group of investors in 1981 that included Willie Davidson, a grandson of one of the co-founders, and has been turned into the success it is today.  Harley Davidson Motorcycles can be seen in movies, TV, print ads and have become an staple of popular culture.

Mountain Dew is a carbonated beverage sold by PepsiCo and was first formulated in 1940 by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman.  the formula was revised in 1958 by Bill Bridgforth and acquired by PepsiCo in 1964. It is mainly sold in regular and diet varieties with the compnay occasionally producing other flavors such as Code Red, Baja Blast and Live Wire.  It is a very popular beverage and is easily recognized.

Tiger Woods is an extremely successful golfer born in 1975.  His full name is Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods.  He burst onto the professional golf scene in 1996 and has since won numerous golf tournaments.  He has set records on nearly every gold course he has played and is more often ranked as the number golfer than not.  He has a variety of endorsement deals which have made him one of the most successful golfers.  His career and personal life were derailed in the late 2000's when it was revealed he had been cheating on his wife with many women.  He and his wife have since separated and Tiger has returned to professional golf and is nearly at the top of his game.

I chose these icons for the following reasons:
I love motorcycles and happen to own a Harley.  They are a staple of Americana and their sound can be heard and recognized from a distance.   Plus they are great machines and can be customized to fit ones personality.
I am sort of addicted to Diet Mountain Dew and just love the taste.  I could drink several a day (Which I don't).  It is known as a beverage that will give you a boost due to its caffeine and tastes great!
I chose Tiger Woods because he is extremely recognizable wold wide.  Until his affair became public and his marriage fell apart, he was almost seen as some as a "Godlike" figure who could do no wrong, especially on the golf course. His mistakes have shown that he is after all human and capable of bad judgement. His pub;ic image is on the mend and his golf game is back to near perfect form! 

Harley Davidson, Mountain Dew and Tiger Woods.

 

 

To me, pop culture is a something a larger percentage of people will recognize.  It may not be something all these people like or take part in everyday, but they have seen, heard or know about it because of its popularity. Pop Culture can be relevant in the  business environment depending on where you work.  If mow grass for a living, pop culture will probably have little influence over your daily work activities.  If you work at target, pop culture may have great deal to do with your daily work activities as your income may depend on pop culture.  I chose Star Wars, as seen in the previous post, because the Star Wars franchise, first released in the late 1970’s, has produced 6 movies, countless merchandise, many video games, comic books TV shows and is still churning out products 30 plus years after its initial release.  Aside from the billions of dollars in revenue it has generated, it is recognized worldwide by people of all ages, genders and races. Star Wars has entertained people now for over three decades and continues to do so.  It has stimulated the imaginations of many of people and has influenced the masses since its release.

The Star Wars Franchise