Under the Influence: The Merchants of Cool - Essay Example

On the other hand, certain pieces of technology or implements may be created by brand imaging or advertising as ‘must haves’. The iPod is one such example since there are other and even better MP3 players on the market but with an efficient business model, marketing, product placement and brand imaging, Apple has managed to make it the most popular brand. In fact, it seems that cellular phones and MP3 players such as the iPod have become fashion accessories rather than utilitarian gadgets (Marks, 2005).

Fashion because the iPod is more than an MP3 player, it is a fashion accessory for the hip and happening people in the 21st century. With several generations of the iPod it has shown its sticking power and as it has gained acceptability, people have found alternative uses for it. With millions of iPods and billions of MP3s there is little to object when a company and fashion leader like Levi’s decides to build on the popularity of the iPod and create a product line which integrates with the digital music player (ACM, 2006).

Corporate media outlets more certainly create dreams and manufacture desires for teens to follow. No where is this more evident than the apparent connection between the music industry and fashion. I believe it was Elvis Presley who was the first music star to influence the fashion sense of an entire generation in a significant way. In the new millennium, we have stars we can emulate no matter what our taste and sense in fashion. In fact, we have got to the stage where music styles and fashion styles are carrying the same names and labels to describe a particular lifestyle e.g. glam rock, hip hop, gothic etc.

The fundamental connection between the two is and always has been about money. It is not enough to sell records that go platinum, the stars of today and their corporate managers want to sell an image and that