The Merchants of Cool

The Merchants of Cool are large, corporate corporations who market pop culture to the newest generation of consumers. Trends are changing rapidly, and the merchants of cool are quick to capitalize on these changes. They often employ the services of “cool hunters” - young people who used to be popular and now investigate emerging trends among young adults.

Trendsetters

Today, there are a multitude of ways to become a trendsetter. There are large corporations that focus on marketing popular culture to the next generation. Some of them are known as merchants of cool and are always on the lookout for the next big thing. Meanwhile, others are ”cool hunters” who research the latest trends among young adults.

Teenagers are a significant market: over 30 million people in the U.S., and with over $150 billion in disposable income. Since they are exposed to over 3000 advertising messages a day, it is no wonder that they respond to what is ”cool” at the moment. Because of this, businesses are constantly on the hunt for new products and marketing strategies to catch the attention of this young demographic.

Teenagers

”The Merchants of Cool” by Douglas Rushkoff is a fascinating look at how marketers try to appeal to young people. These marketing gurus use any method possible to persuade teens to buy their products. By the time they turn 18, young people are exposed to more than ten million advertisements. By capturing the essence of a teen’s lifestyle, these marketers can manipulate them into buying their products.

While teenagers are the target audience of Merchants of Cool, parents can also benefit from watching the film to learn more about how marketers appeal to this generation. The documentary contains interviews with media executives, internet entrepreneurs, and teenagers.

Corporate America

The documentary Merchants of Cool examines the relationship between corporate America and the teenage population. It offers a fascinating look at marketing and communication strategies used by both groups. Teenagers are constantly bombarded with pop culture and fashion, and they are willing to spend money to gain social status. The documentary focuses on Viacom’s efforts to market to this market. Researchers conducted focus groups to determine what teens wanted. The company has succeeded in creating a ”cool” brand that is popular among teenagers.

A cool hunter looks for kids ahead of the crowd, then sells those ideas to big corporations. Once sold to a major company, these ideas can become wildly popular, but quickly become uncool again. A good example is the Sprite soda campaign, which became hugely successful after marketers identified the tastes of a particular demographic.

MTV

The Merchants of Cool on MTV are another example of a mainstream media company that is exploiting the youth to make money. The majority of teens now own a television and a third use a personal computer, so they are prime targets for commercial messages. While some of these messages may be harmless, others might leave a bad taste.

The show’s critics use MTV as a punching bag, but the reality is more complex. The network’s marketing strategy is to find young people to make the media. It’s a marketing strategy that has helped the network attract affiliates and advertisers.

Sprint

The Merchants of Cool are those marketers who use under-the-radar marketing methods to gain attention from the next generation. They may hire teenagers to log on to chat rooms or recruit freshmen to throw parties. However, teens have grown increasingly media-savvy and are quick to recognize a commercial or a message that’s not real.

As a parent of teenage daughters, Merchants of Cool is a disturbing documentary, but not surprising to this recently retired high school teacher.

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Limp Bizkit

Before founding Limp Bizkit, John Otto studied jazz and played in avant-garde bands. Fred Durst got interested in heavy metal, breakdancing, and rap music. He also began DJing and beatboxing. The band’s 1999 debut album was well-received by their fans. But interscope Record co-chairman Jimmy Iovine was not as happy with the band. He was in contention with the band to box their album. Despite the fact that the band had no great demographic authorization, Limp Bizkit was still a commercial hit.

The success of the band was largely due to the promotion of the band on MTV. The band’s popularity soared dramatically as MTV aggressively pushed them on the airwaves. The band’s lyrics were often controversial and deemed offensive. As a result, MTV had to co-opt the anti-corporate rebellion and promote Limp Bizkit on its shows.