The Merchants of Cool

The Merchants of Cool, by Rachel Dretzin and Barak Goodman, delves into the phenomenon of pop culture and its influence on teenagers. Correspondent Douglas Rushkoff interviews market researchers about how they identify emerging teen trends, from music and television to fashion.

As teenagers spend over a billion dollars each year, marketers are eager to understand what these consumers are buying. However, trends associated with “coolness” have increasingly promoted sexualised and antisocial themes within adolescent culture. This raises the question of whether teenagers are driving market trends, or whether market trends are shaping what teenagers want.

The film’s deep dive into the shifting fads of adolescent consumerism highlights how influential popular culture can be for teenagers who are in the process of defining their identities. Marketers are left to question whether their influence is beginning to do more harm than good.