The Corporation Page #8

We asked parents to keep

a diary for three weeks

and to record every time

you could imagine

every time their child nagged

them for a product

we asked them to record

when where and why.

This study was not to

help parents cope with nagging.

It was to help corporations

help children nag

for their products

more effectively.

Anywhere form 20 percent

to 40 percent of purchases

would not have occurred

unless the child had

nagged their parents.

That is we

found for example

a quarter of all visits

to theme parks

wouldn't have occurred unless

a child nagged their parents.

Four out of ten visits

to places like Chuck E. Cheese

would not have occurred.

And any parent would

understand that

you know when I

think of Chuck E. Cheese

oh my goodness

its noise.

And there's

so many kids.

Why would I want to

spend two hours there?

But if the child nags

enough you 're going to go

We saw the same thing with

movies with home video

with fast food...

We do have to break

through this barrier

where they do tell us

or they say

they don't like it

when their kid snag.

Well that's just a general

attitude that they possess.

It doesn't mean that they

necessarily act upon it

a 100 percent of the time.

You can manipulate

consumers into wanting

and therefore buying

your products.

It's a game.

Children are

not little adults;

their minds

aren't developed.

And what's happening is that

the marketers are playing

to their developmental

vulnerabilities.

The advertising that

children are exposed to today

is honed by psychologists;

it's enhanced by

media technology

that nobody ever

thought was possible.

The more insight you have

about the consumer

the more creative you'll be in

your communication strategies.

So if that takes

a psychologist

yeah we want one

of those on staff.

Im not saying it's wrong

to make things for children.

I also think its

important to distinguish

between psychologists who

work on products for children

to help you know toy

corporations make toys

that are developmentally

appropriate.

I think that's great

that's different

from selling the toys

directly to the children.

Initiative is huge.

I think in

the U.S. We place

about $12 billion

of media time.

So well put it on TV

well put it in print

well put it up in outdoor

well buy radio time;

so we're the biggest buyers of

advertising time and space

in the U.S.

And in the world.

One family cannot combat

an industry that spends

$12 billion a year trying

to get their children.

They cant do it.

They are tomorrows

adult consumers

To start talking with them now

build that relationship

when they're younger...

And you've got

them as an adult.

Somebody asked me you

know Lucy is that ethical?

You know you're essentially

manipulating these children.

Well yeah

is it ethical?

I don't know.

But our role at initiative

is to move products

And if we know

you move products

with a certain

creative execution

placed in a certain

type of media vehicle

then we've

done our job.

Every institution

provides the people

who are members of it

with asocial

role to occupy

And typically institutions

that are vibrant

and have a lot of power

will specify that role

in some sense as

a list of virtues.

It's true for churches

for schools

for any institution that

has power over people

and shapes them.

The corporation likewise.

It provides us

with a list of virtues

a kind of social role

which is

the good consumer.

Like the waters

of the mighty ocean

people also represent

tremendous force

the understanding of which

is the greatest importance

to the American

way of life.

This force is known

as consumer power.

The goal for the corporations

is to maximize profit

and market share.

And they also have a goal

for their target

namely the population.

They have to be turned into

completely mindless consumers

of goods that

they do not want.

You have to develop what

are called created wants

So you have

to create wants.

You have to pose

on people what's called

a philosophy of futility.

You have to focus them

on the insignificant

things of life

like fashionable consumption.

Im just basically quoting

business literature.

And it makes

perfect sense.

The ideal is to have

individuals

who are totally disassociated

from one another.

Who's conception of

themselves the sense of value

is just how many created

wants can I satisfy?

These people are customers

because they are willing

to trade money for widgets.

And all the customers

take the widgets home

to all parts

of the country.

Look at all the money

the widget builder has

taken in from the sale

of his widgets.

We have huge industries

public relations industry

monstrous industry

advertising and so on

which are designed

from infancy to try

to mould people

into this desired pattern.

We saw

Tiger Woods on TV

with a hat

with a Nike logo on it

and we figured you know

he probably gets

like millions of dollars

just to wear the hat

on a press conference.

And therefore we figured we

can do that for someone else.

And hopefully get money in

time so we can go to school.

And that show we came up with

being corporately sponsored.

We made our sponsor

announcement

on the Today Show

on June 18

...were thrilled to be

sponsored by First U.S.A...

We're thrilled to be working with

first U.S.A as our corporate

sponsor and they're covering

our college tuition...

...we found First U.S.A as our

sponsor and we're proud

to be working with them...

...our sponsor if First U.S. A

we're really thrilled

to announce First U.S. A

as our sponsor...

...we're thrilled to be

working with First U.S. A...

and so we give First U.S. A

a good name in the media

and include them

in our news stories

and through there

they get as much advertising

as we can give them.

They'll be conforming

not to the wishes of

demanding parents

but to the wishes of an image

conscious corporation...

They're not just out there for

the money and they're just...

I mean they want

to work with us

and be our friends and let

us help them help us

and vice versa.

And we became

walking billboards

to pay for our

college tuition.

Cool Site of the day

picked us as a cool site

and Yahoo picked us and

we were in U.S.A Today.

When we did our photo

shoot for people magazine

When we did our photo

shoot for people magazine

This is where we

stood up on top.

We stood up here

and we smiled.

We smiled and

took the picture.

Our parents had war stories

and stuff to tell us.

We have our corporate

sponsor story.

Exactly.

I have a lot of faith

in the corporate world

because it's always

going to be there

so you may as well

have faith in it

because if you don't

then it's just not good.

Some of the best

creative minds

are employed to

assure our faith

in the corporate

worldview.

They seduce us with corporate

beguiling illusions.

Designed to divert

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