A Response to Frontline

A Response to Frontline

Cool Hunting: A term used throughout the first part of the video Frontline.  That discusses various ad techniques. The advertisers on the show recognized that teens are the majority of the buyers for certain products and they impact their sales greatly.  To try and take advantage of their market, companies try and influence the new trends by being a part of them and emerging themselves in them.  I personally do not like this at all.

I feel that advertisements need to stay on their own side.  They should simply be advertising the product.  The product they are selling is no more than simply a product.  By implying false meaning systems and by emerging themselves in culture, they are turning it into a society of buying.  Buy, it will make you feel better.  Buy, you will fit in.  Buy, it will give you happiness and adventure.  It is really just annoying to put in simple terms.  When I buy a product I want to buy it for what it is, not because I think it will make me look a certain way, but these brands make that impossible.  If you buy a simple black skirt from a nice brand you are labeled materialistic.  If you buy a shirt from Brandy Melville, you are labeled basic.  If you buy a shirt from Forever 21 you are labeled, cluttered and cheap.  Of course, these have included exaggerations, however, they are extremely unnecessary.  I want to buy a shirt because I like it. Nothing more, nothing less.  Through this technique of "cool hunting" they are making it harder for people to do that.  

I also do not care for someone selecting what I see and what I do not.  Yes, I am aware this is happening everywhere, but this technique is definitely adding to it.  We are shown only the material that the brand can use to expedite their advertisements.  The brands are not about the product at all, but about how well they can try to be something they are not.  I think that is a bad message overall, and the culture behind advertising is not positive for the world (in my opinion so far). 

In photo I have attached, we see Sprite, claiming to be way more than they are in hopes of strengthening their meaning system and reaching out to teens.