Documentary Description
hey spend their days sifting through reams of market research data.
They conduct endless surveys and focus groups. They comb the streets,
the schools, and the malls, hot on the trail of the “next big thing”
that will snare the attention of their prey–a market segment worth an
estimated $150 billion a year. They are the merchants of cool: creators
and sellers of popular culture who have made teenagers the hottest
consumer demographic in America. But are they simply reflecting teen
desires or have they begun to manufacture those desires in a bid to
secure this lucrative market? And have they gone too far in their
attempts to reach the hearts–and wallets–of America’s youth?
FRONTLINE correspondent Douglas Rushkoff examines
the tactics, techniques, and cultural ramifications of these marketing
moguls in “The Merchants of Cool.” Produced by Barak Goodman and Rachel
Dretzin, the program talks with top marketers, media executives and
cultural/media critics, and explores the symbiotic relationship between
the media and today’s teens, as each looks to the other for their
identity.
Teenagers are the hottest consumer demographic in America. At 33
million strong, they comprise the largest generation of teens America
has ever seen–larger, even, than the much-ballyhooed Baby Boom
generation. Last year, America’s teens spent $100 billion, while
influencing their parents’ spending to the tune of another $50 billion.
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