Celebrating Youth: Under the Influence?

Entrepreneur and top commercial model Amanda Griffin appears on Young Star Magazine’s cover this month. But no, it’s not another feature on her, or her fashion style, or her newest stint. Want to know what really is on Amanda Griffin’s mind these days? Read on as one of today’s youth idols speak her views on people her age, their whims, and their undying addiction for pop culture.

What do Nike, Starbucks, MTV, and WWF have in common? They are all part of what is loosely characterized as "pop culture." Pop culture is a way of life; generally a teenager’s way of life. The impact of teenagers on culture has reached fever pitch. It’s all about what the youth want at the moment. It is estimated that globally teenagers spend over $100 billion dollars annually. As a result, marketing is predominantly aimed at this group. Hell, with $100 billion dollars to spend, no doubt it’s all about the youth of today!

But who is controlling whom? Are we dictating what we want or are we simply regurgitating the mass pop culture commercialism that conglomerates churn out to make a buck? Are we self-indulgent or merely willing participants in the global game of selling? In an age of instant gratification, I’d say we grab everything that’s paraded in front of us. This is why pop culture and advertising go hand in hand in today’s world. A great marketing campaign will nine out of 10 times refer to some pop culture fad because it’s the best way to get into the game. Just check out movies, television, music, and advertising campaigns and think about it for a minute.

Okay, so what exactly do I mean? The next time you watch a teen flick or even a teen television series, keep your eyes peeled for all those product placements. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then watch The Truman Show where they parody product placements on television shows. Most of the time it’s so subtle, you’ll barely remember them consciously. But, that’s where the dough is. Advertisers realize that in order to have an impact with the youth market, they need to associate their products with the cool, the hip, and whatever is "in" at the moment…pop culture. But where does it end? Are movies going to become one big commercial just to reach us?

How about the WWF? The WWF is one of the most popular shows not just in the States, but globally. So, how exactly does a "show" (if you can call it that) that endorses violence and cynicism become part of pop culture? The answer, of course, is a fantastic marketing job! Look at all the merchandise that has been whipped out by the WWF. Dolls, clothing, what have you. It has even managed to make "The Rock" a bona fide movie star. WWF is an institution, yet everyone knows it’s a load of fake crap. Ahhh, the power of suggestion! So, here we have one of the mainstays of today’s pop culture and we have advertisers. These companies are clamoring to get their commercials aired during the WWF time slot. Because they know that if they do...it’s jackpot time for their products.

Technology has played such an important role in creating the power of the youth market. The Internet has made it possible for trends to transcend different cultures and countries. Twenty years ago, pop culture was different in every country. There wasn’t instant access to information the way we have it today. If you look back through the years, British ’60s pop culture was very different to ’60s Americana. Today, thanks to the advent of the Internet and 24-hour global programming by networks such as MTV and CNN, pop culture has become a unified inclination, rather than a per country fad. What a bonanza for marketers! Instead of just one country’s teen population to focus on, they have the whole market of teenagers around the world who subscribe to the same pop culture

ideas. This is why the youth segment is so unbelievably powerful. Advertisers want to please us…because we have the power to make or break their products.

But…what direction is this buying power taking the youth? Kids are growing up so much faster today, than they did say, even 10 years ago. In the battle to win the hearts and minds of the youth today, marketers are in a rat race to outdo each other with their promotional campaigns. This has led us to be totally desensitized, so the campaigns have to be more attention grabbing, sensational, fanciful, and controversial in order to garner enough interest to make us sit up and take notice of what they are peddling.

Pop culture is a part of growing up, but it’s being used and abused by the vendors of this world. We have the bucks, but advertisers are the ones determining how we act and what we have to buy under the guise of mixing in consumerism with pop culture. I understand that it’s all about making money, but we need to take a step back and make sure that our lives don’t become one big walking commercial dictated by those who are only interested in making money. In a world that’s all about commercialism, maybe we should try to move more towards the times when it wasn’t always about buying into the latest and coolest fad. Are we losing our individualism? Remember, we have the power…we should try to stand up for ourselves instead of getting lost in the lure of pop culture.