Searching for what is cool/Frontline

The common goal of all growing companies is to appeal to the largest audience possible.  It has shown in various studies that teens are one of the biggest consumers on the planet when it comes to buying products, so naturally they would be the first on the target audience list.  These companies try their best to find out what teens think is "cool" and want to incorporate those ideas into their advertisements in order to make maximum profit.  These industries conduct hundreds of focus groups with different teens.  Not just normal teens, but the ones who are "cool" and trendsetters in order to obtain information on what is popular before it reaches the population or becomes too out of date.

In many cases, these occur groups are unsuccessful due to the fact that once teens realize the marketing strategy, they immediately move on and the word "cool" is redefined.  When these teens realize that companies are trying to incorporate what is "cool" into their commercials, they don't like it and move on to the next trend.  It is an :unsolvable puzzle" as someone said in the Frontline episode.  

Personally, I think that companies will never be able to truly appeal to the teenage mind.  I think that there are so many complex and different ideas teens find cool or funny that adults will never be able to understand or laugh at due to the fact that our generation grew up in a much different environment than the pervious generation.  I also think it's a little annoying how us teens are seen as a "country ready to colonize"  These companies only want one thing and that is money.  I don't think that their marketing strategy will ever work because trends hit teens first and constantly change.  Once  the adults or companies find out about them it is already too late and the trend has just become outdated an annoying.  

From personal experience, I don't think I have ever seen an ad or commercial and thought "dang I really relate to that"  I just don't think that companies have the capability to correctly appeal to a teens sense of humor or mind.  The only way that companies would be successful with this marketing strategy would be if they let a teen take control of the entire operation.

Tune in next week for the new story on Aidan's Kitchen!