Corman Coleman Cayman Corncob and Jones Inc.
666 Madison Avenue, New York
Telephone switchboard: LEX10666
July 1, 1966
Hey-hey JB,
BJ asked me to copy you on the latest strategies for bringing a new "icon" to market. I've talked to BM, VH, KFC, ZZ and TP, and they've "signed off" on these very exciting ideas "collated" from a number of different "think-tank boys" like Brookings, Tavistock and Iron Mountain.
What's the "angle?" Well, those pointy-heads ran the numbers and came to the conclusion that a "head-on assault" doesn't really "cut the mustard" when "pushing" (that's dope lingo) a new idea or belief, so you have to take the "subtle approach" and let the public "discover" it for themselves.Give it a read and give us "the word from on high."FYI JB: the boys working on the Burma Shave account are going to the Village tonight to check out one of these sissy new "rock combos." They're called "Velvet Underworld" or something like that. I'm sure it will be a gas.BTW JB: I almost forgot; the "word on the street" is that "Warhol the Great" will be there- I know you've hoping to land him for the new Schlitz print ads.
BCC JB: Irv and "Snapper" from the photo department booked a suite at the New Yorker just in case some of these "Mod" dames want to keep the party going "uptown". If not, Times Square is just a hop and a skip. You're more than welcome to join us, Skipper.
On the QT JB: Judy from the steno pool keeps asking after you. I hear she's "hot to trot." I'll cover for you if the missus calls.Yours, BJ
CC: JD, JT, JC, AC, DC
1. TARGETING THE UPPER CLASSES
When you're looking to establish a new icon or idol, you need to approach each demographic with a tailored approach. The rich are indeed different and constantly need to have their innate sense of entitlement validated and reinforced.
Convincing the wealthy they're "ahead of the curve" and "turned onto" something new and novel is always a good approach when conditioning them to adopt a new "paradigm."
Always remember to present your revivalism as "anti-traditional," and indeed, opposed to the old-fashioned values you're trying to recall so potently.
The wealthy love to wallow in nostalgia, just so long as they can convince themselves that's not actually what they're doing. They need to believe they are "with it."
Pushing a icon as a way to make even more money is a surefire approach as well. Try pitching your propaganda campaign as the "inside scoop" on a "hot new investment."
Exotic foreign locales are endlessly alluring, so placing your icon in the context of a romantic adventure in a sexy tropical paradise is a sure winner!
Using children as "props" is an excellent way for rich people to help circulate your icon or idol. Especially when photographed in wealthy locales like Palm Springs and the Swiss Alps.
Catering to those exclusive enclaves is an excellent way to "hammer home" the new iconography you wish your targets to adopt.
Creating social opportunities for the upper classes to compete with over who has best appropriated your symbolism is another effective means of indoctrination. Take advantage of the electrical forms of media.
2. USING HIGH FASHION AND CELEBRITY
Using female celebrities and/or political figures is a highly-effective means of promoting your icon or idol. Be creative; think of new and exciting ways to present your icon to image-savvy public figures.
Fashion models are incredibly influential with "modern women" today. Think "Twiggy," "Veruschka," and "Jean Shrimpton," among others.
Older models who are no longer "hip" or "happening" or "really now" might be especially amenable to participating in your indoctrination campaigns.
Think "Capucine" or "Suzy Parker."
Check in with our "friends" at "the Company." They've been helping create some exciting new publicity opportunities using "bra burners."
The gimmick is that their "libbers" help generate interest in a topic or product by "slamming it" in controlled media outlets. It's a very "forward" new idea that is reaping big profits!
Call the switchboard and ask to speak to a Special Agent Steinem.
Another solid strategy is to hire on influential fashion houses to make extensive use of your iconography in their "lines."
Make use of potent mythological, "surreal" and quasi-mystical symbolism as well, plus "zany" things like Mermaids and giants.
Don't forget "high end" accessory makers like purse, hat and shoe makers. Leave "no stone unturned."
Once you "bag" the big brands get to work with the "second-tier houses" for your social engineering campaigns. "The pyramid gets wider as you descend," don't forget.
3. THROUGH SPECIALIZED "FAN" MARKETS
When introducing an icon or idol into the general population you want to carefully target "forward-thinking" demographics like fans (short for "fanatics").
Fans are usually "weirdos"-- ie., social defectives, sex deviants, and mental obsessives. But they are very loyal to their favorite TV shows and movies (check out "fan" interest with the new "Space Trek" show on NBC Television Networks).
And using one of those degenerate European "arthouse" pictures is a more effective way of disseminating new ideas than "going wide" straight out of the gate. Just ensure your client is OK with associating his product with nudity, violence, drugs, Communism, etc.
"Fans" are noted for their arrested emotional development and "fandom" is chock-full of adults who still play with toys. Exploit this market but keep a "trapdoor" handy if one too many "fans" is arrested for interfering with children.
And Oriental fads can be just the ticket when you're pursuing that elusive youth demographic. Think "Godzilla" and "Kara-te."
More and more "animation" is being "farmed-out" to the Orient so keep all that in mind. See Kimba, Speed Racer, et al
4. USING CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Use of off-brand varieties can be particularly effective when conditioning consumers who hold pretensions of being "resistant to conditioning."
Americans especially love their pets more than they love other humans-- and rightly so-- so always take advantage of pet-oriented branding opportunities when circulating your idols and icons.
There's always room for the "biggies" however. David Rockefeller's outfit has reported especially desirable results in their work with the Coca-Cola line of products (Coke, Tab, Fanta, etc)
Take for instance the popular Spanish beverage, "Margarita" (also the Greek word for Pearl). Try doing something really "off the wall" like pretending "Margarita" has its own national holiday.
5. USING MASS PUBLIC RITUALS
Awards ceremonies like the "Oscar" and "Grammy" provide excellent opportunities for idol-icon publicity.
Again, check in with "The Company" and ask if they can't provide you with mentally-sick individuals to picket or harass anyone who might question your use of this symbolism, such as clergy and/or "egghead" intellectual types.
Again, check in with "The Company" and ask if they can't provide you with mentally-sick individuals to picket or harass anyone who might question your use of this symbolism, such as clergy and/or "egghead" intellectual types.
I hear they're working on a really exciting marketing/PR program called "identity politics" down at HQ but I don't have the details on it yet.
The performance of nationalistic hymns at mass sports rituals also presents a rich mission field for idol promotion. Be consistent in your subliminals- ie., display your symbol in a "like-like" or "patterned" manner-- to ensure maximum subliminal reception.
Seek out novel ways to display your idol. Unusual and/or humorous juxtaposition can help implant your symbolism into the public's collective unconscious.
But do remember to also balance out your "zaniness" with the solemnity and reverence that your icon or idol deserves.
Developing icons goes together with developing markets like shoes and Shinola. So be sure not to overlook opportunities to exploit both.
Social movements with heavy media interest offer opportunities for icon transmission that money can't buy.
Be sure to "pin" your icon or idol on every bandwagon that rolls by whether or not it makes any sense at all to do so.
Movie stars are always eager to "help out" (meaning they're all controlled through dope and blackmail). So even if your subject is using your icon or idol in an incoherent manner it doesn't matter because the symbolism will stick long after everyone has moved onto the next "cause célèbre."
Just be aware that legitimate charities may in fact be using the same icons or idols you're seeing to inculcate, through happenstance or osmosis. Declare victory and move on to other targets.
7. THE "MODERN ART" PSY-OP
The "Company" have been showing tremendous success with the "Modern Art" psychological warfare operation. They've collected a host of dope fiends, sex perverts, mental sickos, and Bolsheviks from the finest families in the nation to create weird and confusing objects that are presented via their media assets as "abstract art."
It's done a terrific job in alienating "Joe and Jane Q Public" from the "art world" and really pushes the "atomization agenda" agenda along.
The latest fad are "art installations," meaning coordinated operations where the ordinary citizen is forced to encounter "modern art," whether he wants to or not.
Company assets have been planted throughout the opinion-forming media to cultivate a sense of guilt, shame and doubt in the public, who may be sensing somehow they are being conditioned to accept an esoteric new belief system without their knowledge or consent.
Opinion-creators have been highly effective in this approach throughout Communist-held territories such as People's Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the People's Democratic Republic of Bulgaria, and Lower Manhattan.
Also a new generation of freedom-loving architects has been trained to circulate and create a sense of fear and reverence towards our own icons and idols, following the example of their counterparts in Red China, the German Democratic Republic and the People's Socialist Federal Democratic Worker's Republic of Yugoslavia.
Also don't overlook the "longhair" arts such as the Orchestra, ballet and opera. Average Americans assiduously avoid these venues but they're especially popular with fit, well-educated, and well-groomed men in high-earning urban centers and waterfront vacation spots.
Remember, these same men will be siring the next generation of freedom-loving Americans so pay special attention to this market.
