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Merchants of Cool Assignment 1. Discretionary Income (chapter 13): The money available to a household over an above what it requires to have a comfortable standard of living. This is also known as disposable income. How it relates to the movie: The movie discussed at the beginning that teens have a lot of disposable income. There is 32 million teens that spend 100 billion each year. 2. Looking-Glass Self (chapter 5): The process of imagining the reaction of others toward oneself How it relates to the movie: Barbara, 13, said, “I need to look good for people. 3-4. Semiotics (chapter 2): A field of study that examines the correspondence between signs and symbols and the meaning or meanings they convey Sensory Overload (chapter 2): A condition where consumers are exposed to far more information received from senses How it relates to the movie: They stated that teens view 3,000 advertisements each day. They also talked about how there were too many sprite advertisements. 5.
Lifestyle (chapter 6): A set of shared values or tastes exhibited by a group of consumers, especially as these are reflected in consumption patterns How it relates to the movie: MTV has reporters and researchers interview groups of teens to figure out more about their generation. MTV personally interviewed John by going to his home and seeing his room and asking him questions. 6. Symbol (chapter 2): A sign that is related to a product through either conventional or agreed-on associations How it relates to the movie: Sprite and hip-hop are related to each other through Sprites marketing campaign. . Cult Product (chapter 4): Items that command fierce consumer loyalty and devotion How it relates to the movie: The best example of this is the Insane Clown Posse (ICP), it showed fans at their concert that dressed and looked the same as the band members. ICP is known for their rock-rage music. 8. Fads (chapter 17): A very short-lived fashion How it relates to the movie: Examples of fads from the movie include: ICP and Limp Bizkit. 9.
Target Market (chapter 6): A specific group of consumers at which a company aims its products and services How it relates to the movie: The target market of the movie is the teen generation of 2001. 10. Exposure (chapter 2): An initial stage of perception during which some sensations come within range of consumers’ sensory receptors How it relates to the movie: It showed how the band, Limp Bizkit, performed at MTV’s spring break and on TRL. After the band appeared on these shows they increased their sales tremendously.