Merchants of Cool

12. What is meant by the remark that when an advertiser finally finds a cool ad, the ad will self-destruct? 

Answer: The remark means that when advertisers have finally found what's cool, teenagers will realize that the thing that they found cool was discovered by mainstream media and will become overused or overplayed making what was once theirs only everyone's. 

13. After view the film, are you a smart consumer? Is it true that you do not respond to traditional advertising, but that you can be fooled by these kinds of ads with carefully researched techniques? 

Answer: After viewing the film, I do believe that I am a smart consumer as I don't waste money on things that are to expensive and that I don't really need. I don't feel like buying things will fulfill the need to be happy in life and other needs because I have friends and family that already do that. It is indeed true that I don't respond to traditional advertising as when I see ads for companies and don't like the ad I will go out of my way to never buy things from that company and if I do like the ad I still won't go and buy it unless I feel like its something I really need. I don't know if I'm easily fooled by carefully researched techniques I feel like to a certain point I am, but not very much. 

14. What is 'stealth marketing' or marketing under the radar? Is it ethical? Would you throw a party or post on social media for money? 

Answer: Stealth marketing is when companies sell their brand or product in ways that you wouldn't really expect them too. The main purpose of stealth marketing is not to generate immediate sales, but to create interest and excitement that will make consumers more receptive to direct advertising afterwards. I don't think it's ethically to do something like that but companies don't care whether it's ethical or not they just want to make profit and create a name for themselves. For a large amount of money I think that anyone would be willing to throw a party or post something on social media for a company including myself. 

15. When you go online or on social media sites, is it important for you to know if the information or the program is an ad for a product?

Answer: I don't really care if when I go online or on social media sites I don't know the information or program is for an ad because even if I did  know I don't think that it would change my opinion on the product or ad very much. 

16. What links have you seen recently among performances by major stars, producers, and broadcasters and big corporations?(Think of the Sprite example-any current comparisons?)

Answer:Recently I saw an ad for Nissan with advertisement for Star Wars which I thought was interesting because its one advertisement doing the job that usually 2 advertisements would do. Big athletes are always doing commercials and sporting big companies like Nike, Adidas, and the most recent Under Armour which is bringing profit for both sides of the arrangement and is also creating a brand name for both the athletes and the company sponsoring them. 

17. Naomi Klien argues that advertising has changed from sponsoring culture to becoming culture. What's the difference? What happens to culture when its purpose is sales rather than expression? 

Answer: When advertisement sponsor culture is when companies sell products and make products that are already a part of the culture and don't try to introduce new things into society. Its when the consumer tells the company what they want instead of the other way around. When advertisement becomes culture is when companies make their brand and products a necessity in our society, instead of consumer telling the companies what they want, companies are telling consumer what they should have to be well integrated in our society. When culture turns its purpose into sales rather than expression the society values material possessions more than anything else. They would rather have the newest fashion than spend time with friends or figuring out who they actually are.