Merchants of Cool

1.)Give two reasons why corporate amaerica has targeted teenagers. They have cash and are easily influenced to spend it.


2.)Why does Robert Mchesney call teenageers "Africa"?-They are being colonized into groups.


3.)What does Bobb Bibb emphasize about teens and their parents?-The parents want to keep their teens happy and spend money on them.


4.)How does Sharon Lee define "guilt money"?-Go buy something beacause of lacking spending time togeher.


5.)To what extent is a typical American teenager exposed to advertisements?Give examples.-They are very exposed to t.v. and computers.


6.)What does "cool hunting"mean? Why is it important to corporate America?- Findind what is hip and in, as well as what kids want to buy.


7.)How do cool hunters work? What techniques do they use?-Find cool and hip kids and suggest them to retailers.


8.)According to Douglas Rushkoff,"the paradox of"cool hunting"is that it kills what it finds. Why?-This is because the trend will only last so long.


9.)Marketers know that kids do not like them. What strategy do they use to approach kids- The make them interested and excited. they also use focus groups.


10.)What is the reason for Sprite's success with teenagers?- It made fun of marketing and understood teenagers.


11.)What does " under-the- radar"marketing mean?- POse people to help market their products and make things look cool.


12.)Discuss the following statements:"Youth culture is not something that is just being sold to us. It has something that comes from us. It is an act of expression, not just an act of consumption."- It is anuniqueness from all of us and we all influence it.


13.)Who are defined as the true merchants of cool?-Media giants


14.)according to Robert McChesney, what weapons do merchants of cool use?-Advertising, celebrites, and hot trends.


15.)What does Robert McChesney draw our attention to MTV?- They pay people to make them look cool and use hip trends.


16.)What conclusion did MTV draw when their ratings slipped?-They let their marketing show.


17.)What is speacial about MTV's TRL show?- They play music videos by popular demand.


18.)MTV market researchersare involoved in an "ethnography study". What is it? What is the use of it?-Visit a typical fan in their home and helps to see what is popular.


19.)What does MTV research indicate about teenagers as a result of their ethnographic study? It shows trends and what is popular.


20.)Comment on the following quote by Douglas Rushkoff:"They {MTV market researchers} don't call it "human" research or "people" research, they call it "market" research.- They use people to show trends.


21.)According to Mark Crispin Mileer , why is the MTV machine not interested in listening to the young?-They don't listen to exactly what they want. They don't do it to make them happy.


22.)Why do commercial culture providers like MTV not represent characters in depth for their audiences?- They don't think they would last as long.

23.)What does "professional wrestling mean to today's teenagers?- It has a "pop" factor and it's in.

24.)Why is Mark Crispin Miller quite concerned about gigantic transnational corporations and their TV shows?- They drag standards down.

25.)What does "midriff" mean? What is the midriff archetype? How might a midriff affect a girl?- IT is sexual and makes girls worry about their bodies.
26.)What does the image of Britney Spears signify?- To flaunt sexuality and their bodies are thier best features.
27.)What might a mook and a midriff have in common?- They both use inappropriate ways to get teens.
28.) How is "family" represented in the TV series "7th Heaven"?What formula is used in the program?- They are clean and they are family friendly.
29.) How are the TV series such as "Beverly Hills 90210" and "dawson's Creek" kept "cool".- They They had attracteive characters and used sexuality.
30.)How do the makers of teen TV defend their programs?- They are doing different things. Teens want more of the gore.
31.)Does the media really reflect the world of teens? How realistic is teen tv?-They do and it shows how troubled teens really are.
32.) What is a "feedback loop"? - They want to see themselves being cool in media.
33.)What could be the reason for the poularity of rage rock in the States? What do rage Rock fans protest against?- Women and gays. They set to be different.
34.) How did a group like LImp Bizkitt become superstars? As a rage rock band , how authentic would you accept them?- They have raw material, I dont accept them.
35.)Disciss the following: Who ctreates youth cultures:the youth themselves or corporate America? Corporate America takes over the youth and tries to prove to them what is cool.