Film Analysis: The Merchants Of Cool

The documentary, Merchants of cool, describes an evolving relationship between the vast teenage population and corporate America. The film provides an in-depth look at the marketing strategies and communication between these groups. Adolescents are shown as learners and adapters of the fast-paced world; they’re constantly exposed to fashions and trends. These young adults have a lot of disposable income and are willing to spend it, in order to gain social popularity. In other words, they are chasing ‘cool’. The corporate giant Viacom, however, faced difficulties marketing to such audience. Stubborn teenagers are unresponsive to conventional marketing messages. By conducting focus groups, researchers have learned that teenagers respond to ‘cool’. Accordingly, the merchandise industry had to embrace new marketing strategies. Marketing industry analysts began by identifying and studying the most popular individuals within the

The teenage audience was falsely placed in-charge of the show. As with any form of entertainment, marketing messages were neatly concealed and not easily noticeable. Social standards were lowered yet again with the broadcast of Dawson’s Creek. It became clear to the market researchers that drama and sex were the two most popular topics among the growing audience. The viewers related to the show and gave the network their full and undivided attention. Ultimately, the teens adopted the attitudes and behaviors they were exposed to. Personally, I have been a part of such loop when I was an adolescent. I followed trends such as clothing, shoe ware, soft drinks, cellular phones, TV shows and more. My childhood friends and I used to quote lines from the most popular commercials. I remember seeing 7Up commercials broadcasted repeatedly, hence it was my favorite drink at that