The Merchants of Cool

It is undeniable that teenagers are the most important marketing demographic in regards to the media. There is no refuting that and, as long as teenagers remain the way they are, this is not going to change anytime soon. So it is easy to understand why they are the most targeted and sought out demographic concerning media and product marketing. That being said, though, the difference between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable to market towards teenagers is becoming more and more difficult to discern. Like the documentary, Merchants of Cool, clearly stated, teens can be subjected to almost 3,000 advertisements a day, and more than 10 million before the time they reach eighteen. Anywhere a teen rests their eyes, they are being sold a product; an idea; a concept; a look; a life. Is this merely a marketing campaign or has it come too far? There is a very real fear by many people that teenagers are given no room to create their own culture; they are merely spoon-fed a culture created by media and marketing and are told to call it their own.

How is this a problem? If teenagers are accepting this form of marketing and culture-feeding, why is this even an issue? The issue is that teenagers have nowhere else to turn. The media and the constant advertisements that teenagers are bombarded with take the choice away from teenagers; they surround them so that there is nowhere else to look and no other culture to accept. The creativity of being one's own person is sucked out because there are few options. Of course, this is in regards to popular culture and mainstream advertising. There are plenty of teenage dissenters that choose to shy away from popular culture and product; eschewing the marketing schemes that are thrown their way and going for the complete opposite. But the capitalizing of this opposition is where the (evil?) genius of teenage marketing really shines through. If one culture or marketing campaign is not being accepted, that counterculture is often changed from being something out of the ordinary and different to just another fad and another opportunity for a new marketing campaign. This is vividly portrayed by movements such as "rage rock," involving bands like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Insane Clown Posse. Of course, these bands are controversial but that is what makes them so appealing. By being so "anti-establishment" and counter-culture, these bands and this movement become exactly what they are opposing.

This is a result of the "cool hunters" that the documentary focuses on. Their sole purpose is to study teenagers and anticipate the next trend and fad. But are they really anticipating it, or are they creating it? One may argue that rage rock and the bands that are involved with that music genre may never have garnered any mainstream success without the help of marketing, advertising, and the push that originally was scoped out by the merchants of cool. Not only are they creating a culture for teenagers but they are also creating a counterculture which can also be marketed. This can be exemplified through stores like Abercrombie and Fitch which markets itself to good looking, athletic, "mainstream" teenagers as opposed to Hot Topic, a store that is just as successful but markets toward the demographic of a sub or counterculture. Both are controlled by larger companies, they are just marketed differently.

So now the editorial portion of the blog...has the marketing of cool come too far? Are teenagers being subjected to advertisements that try and sell to them more than just a product? Well, in the case of the "mook" and the "midriff," it is undeniable that much more than a product is being marketed towards teenagers. It's about a look and a lifestyle. It's about fitting in with a popular image and doing (or buying) whatever it takes to fit snugly into that mold. Pop culture icons like Britney Spears and Tom Green give us the archetype and marketing gives us the means by which to emulate the archetype.

In my opinion, popular marketing and mainstream advertising is targeting teenagers and marketing to them for one thing: money. They bring the most revenue and by design, marketing executives and advertising personell are trained to make the most money possible. The ethics of these jobs do come into play, but mainstream and popular culture are not the only options out there. Teenagers have a responsibility to have a mind of their own and not allow themselves to be dragged down by the inundation of advertisements that they are exposed to every single day. At a certain age, it is one's OWN duty to filter out what the bullshit and therefore, these places teenagers in an even more important role than they are given credit for. Teens now must decide who they want to be, how they want to act, and how they want to be controlled at an earlier age. Do I think this is right? I'm not knowledgable enough about the industry to understand all of the ethics and give a pertinent opinion. I do know, though, that all the blame cannot be pushed onto the leaders of marketing and advertising. Yes, they have a responsibility to take into account the impressionable market that they are aiming at, but they are also attempting to create the best campaigns and sell the most product. The ball is in the court of the demographic. Teens need to create their OWN individual personas and as a whole, their own culture. The only way to do this is by allowing one's self to be subjected to the marketing that will invariably invade their space and reject what is unwanted. The parent of the teen must also play an active role in supervising the purchases of the teenager; this certainly does not involve "guilt purchases" because a parent doesn't spend enough time with their child. That's absolutely unacceptable and because of this, blame becomes equally distributed between companies, teens, and their parents; the issue is much deeper and impacts many others aside from just the teens.

Although certainly not a simple debate or a case of easy-to-point fingers, I believe the concept of consumer responsiblity is so important here. One must control what they buy and how this affects them. We all have the responsibility to filter media and choose how it is going to affect us. Are you going to allow yourself to become a product of mainstream pop culture? Are you going to embrace an anti-culture movement which is really just the facade of another mainstream movement? Or are you going to be your own individual and create your own culture? In reality, as is the case with so many other hot topics (pun certainly intended) out there, it is up to the individual to make the decision.