Wow, the blog is so alive! I love it! Although I had a lot of catch-up reading to do before I could put in my own two cents. Hopefully I’m not repeating too much of what anyone else has mentioned, I have managed to skim just about everyone’s but you can never be too sure…
So we’ve been watching the video “Merchants of Cool”. I wasn’t here when we started it, but today we saw a segment about the Insane Clown Posse (is that the proper name for it? I know it had something to do with clowns…). The Insane Clown Posse is supposedly an underground, individualistic, unmarketable, ‘stick it to the man’ kind of group.
But what I don’t understand is, do the people actually enjoy the music, or do they just want to be ‘different’? Even though the corporate world is not marketing bands such as the I.C.P., it is still influencing the choices that the supposedly ‘individualistic’ people make.
Being influenced by advertisers is unavoidable, whether you purchase their product or not.
In closing, I have one last thing to share, and it has to do with my wonderful mother. My mother is a mature, stay at home mom. She’s the sensible, structured, matriarch that runs a well-organized home. However, in recent years it has become apparent that my mother has a soft spot for rappers such as 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. Even though the lyrics are often times crass and derogatory towards women, my mom doesn’t seem to mind. These rappers are targeting a younger, much different demographic; yet they have managed to obtain a white mother of two who lives in an affluent community as a fan. This I believe is a perfect example of an exception to the rule.
5 comments:
Donna-
I think that a great example to illustrate your points and those in "Merchants of Cool" is the Mod subculture in early '60's England. Originally, a small group of young people became obsessed with fashion and jazz music. They hated commercialism, and they tried to find obscure clothing and records. Later, the media discovered the movement, and their music (The Who) and clothing were mass-marketed. This follows roughly the same pattern as Mr. Lazarow's S.F. hippie example, and I am beginning to see a trend.
On another note, one thing I didn't like about "Merchants of Cool" was its portrayal of Insane Clown Posse's fans. They were racist and profane, but the movie condoned this by giving us the impression that they were just trying to break free of commercialization and mainstream culture.
Finally, in response to your question about why people don't like Britney Spears' music... It's because it's really bad.
It is scary to think that we all have been preconditioned by omnipresent propaganda. I don’t want to believe it, but I can’t deny the facts; from the time we were born until now, we have been bombarded constantly by advertisements, both subtle and extreme. Now that “Merchants of Cool” has shown me the light and demystified the world of marketing, I have started to look at everything in a new way. I’ve actually grown angrier at myself for being so easily duped by advertisers in the past.
We may never really know whether we have our own personalities or if advertisers simply tell us what to like and dislike. The fact is that we won’t have a chance to find out because companies will never stop marketing. The business world demands it.
It’s remarkable how susceptible we all are to marketing, especially children. Young children are even more vulnerable than teens because at least teens by this time have developed a heightened sense of awareness. They can recognize when they are being solicited to, while children cannot. Just think back to the ‘90s and all of the trends you followed when you were a kid – Nickelodeon, Goosebumps, Happy Meals, Furbies, Lisa Frank notebooks, Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew books, playing Oregon Trail. The list can go on and on. And what was the go-to scheme used by advertisers to draw us in? Bandwagon. All the cool kids in the commercials had Gigapets and Pogs, soon all of your friends had them, and shortly thereafter you wanted them to.
I think advertisers breed insecurity and shallowness in young children, because they teach kids that owning material possessions will make them happy. It’s great for business because it ensures customers, but not so good for humanity. If your happiness is defined by belongings, then you will never be truly happy. There is always going to be the “next big thing” and you will want to own it.
While I admit that "Merchants of Cool" was a great video and a crucial link in my understanding of marketing, I have to say that I feel like I don't feel AS marketed to as others.
Sure, I wear brand-name clothes and eat some advertised food, but the vast majority of what is being marketed to me and the age-group I fit into is not appealing to me. It also appears that many of my friends are like me in this way, and I feel like I am individualistic in some ways. For example, I NEVER watch Mtv. I cannot stand that channel! Instead, I have become obsessed with Food Network, which is clearly not advertised towards both my age and gender. Most of the products are for the typical "soccer mom" in the suburbs- like minivans and the like. I watch the channel because I am passionate about food and culinary arts, not because I want to know what's currently trendy and hip. On the subject of music, I don't listen to that popular trash and instead listen to classical music- which is not "cool" by Mtv's standards. But it's what I like, and I don't care what others think.
The reason I say that the people I associate with are not as affected by marketed as I am is because they have the same sorts of interests as me, which are undoubtedly not considered normal by advertisers. Many of my friends stay away from candy and other junk food not because it's mainstream, but because it's unhealthy and most of the time tastes awful. The point is, we are all, to some degree, affected by commercials, advertisements, and the media. That much is undeniable. But it is also true that the amount to which one is 'controlled' by these forms of communication varies from person to person, and many are not by any means typical of the cookie-cutter characteristics to which marketers appeal.
Hey, it's Erin. Ian, you're amazing! I love Food Network too! I have to agree with Ian (besides the point of Food Network) that I think that I (for the most part) am not influenced by advertising to a great extent. I'll buy something because I like the style, not because it's "in" (there are some clothes that are in style that I wouldn't wear because they just aren't my taste - what's "cool" doesn't dictate my desires). Same for what I watch and listen to and read.
Hey, it's Jasmine. I did a little research on the Insane Clown Posse and here's what I found:
At first, ICP relied on non-traditional marketing (but it was still marketing). Relying solely on local self-promotion, their first album only sold 17 copies on its release date. ICP moved on to the state-level, then promoted throughout the Mid-West, and eventually showed up on MTV and Vh1 and starred in a movie. It was advertising all along - it was just a little more low-key at the start. Musicians don't need record labels to promote them, they can do it themselves.
How did the ICP become so popular and "successful"? I think that much of its fan base only listened to them because they wanted something that was their own - it made them feel like they were rebelling against the mainstream (as stated in the documentary). The ICP's fans are lying to themselves - the ICP is not rebelling against commercialization - it's part of it. The funny thing is, in ICP's first album, they sang, "I used to wonder what life's about, until it chewed me up and spit me out." That's exactly what happened to them.
While writing this post, I remembered something my cousin had told me over the summer. She was depressed that "her" band, Paramore, was becoming famous. She wanted to keep them to herself (like ICP's fans). As soon as Paramore started playing on the radio and on MTV, their music wasn't as personal and special anymore. This is why the music industry is always looking for the next big thing - coolness doesn't last.
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