I am still kinda convinced that this is a ‘think piece’/'metaphor.’

It is the intent of marketers to let younger generations know that the brand ‘gets’ them and ‘welcomes them.’ Southern Comfort is into things like headbands, sunglasses, going to festivals, reading blogs, and downloading super hip remixes.

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Fatal flaws of ’sponsoring’ the production of media which ties a brand to an alternative lifestyle

• Giving altbros who majored in film/communications the opportunity to ‘roam around a music festival’, looking for the opinion of ‘people who look/sound interesting+outgoing.’ Is this really ur brand?
• Interviewing people who ‘look+sound interesting and/or outgoing’ usually leads to douchey commentary which alienates the ‘common man’/'common alt.’ Are alts RLLY ur brand?
• Product placement shots which fail to ‘look natural’ to self-aware audiences.
• Outsourcing your brand’s image to ’some unoriginal altBro/altBroad’ who have ‘an inflated sense of ___________.’ This fails to appeal to the self-proclaimed+self-aware authentic alt audience.
• moments that are kinda zany that make u feel empty/like u never want to leave the internet again bc real life is a ‘let down’ of people who don’t understand the meme economy.
• Altbros who drew a Justice Cross on their chest with a permanent marker, then got to meet Jousteece.
• Getting to hear about what inauthentic alts value, making u feel kind ashamed about how u saw the world when indie+meaningfulcore were ‘in’, and now u r seeing the same trends/sentiments towards music with trivial electro. This makes u feel empty + meaningless.

Overall, Southern Comfort made us realize that it is important to keep the fans away from the product. If fans interact with the product, they make it seem a lil bit less special. Justice is a band from France. Kids are from America/suburbia. Sometimes when u let these two incredibly different elements interact, it makes u realize how little u have in common with n e thing that u thought u enjoyed. Life is kinda absurd. It’s just better 2 not remind ppl abt how ‘hollow’ everything is, and how ______ people who ‘actually like something’ seem.

//What are we searching 4? (think I’m just gonna start going 2 more music festivals).

n e ways… are yall gonna start drinking Southern Comfort bc they understand ur alternative lifestyle, and enjoy Justice, just like u do?
Is Southern Comfort the new Sparks?
I wonder who got paid more? P4k, Jousteece, or the videograbros? (Plz let me know if u need me 2 do n e progressive media for yall if u own a mainstream company who wants to attract the attention of GenY).

AltBags can usually leave their altBro status behind when they pursue ‘a better life’ (on various levels) and/or try to become an alternative entreprenuer, capitalizing off their local/global scenes. Most of the world’s most successful alternative entrepreneurs have ascended into AltBag status. Whether they are a designer, DJ, AZN DJ, party pic taker, or altWebMagazineBlog founder– the altBag personality type is sometimes necessary to have a mentally-tough personal brand to withstand the trials and tribulations of being a public figure. On the flipside, some altBags are solitary alts, with no circle of friends beyond His altDiva GF.

However, most altBags are not successful. Most altBags are the post-AltBros in your local scene who are very difficult to take seriously, even though they appear to be taking themselves very seriously. Usually, they dress like an alternative version of the Jonas Brothers, utilizing an array of plaid, fancy/vintagey jackets, and avoidance of anything that looks ‘too American Apparelly.’ They spend money on higher end clothes and/or take time to find [HIGHLY THRIFTED] clothes.

AltBags are more than just AltBros.

[Photo by thecobrasnake]

AltBags take themselves 100% seriously. Their personal brands will last forever. They are generally between ages 24-30, since it takes a certain level of maturity to be an AltBag. You must be at a point where you were kind of forced into taking your alternative existence seriously.

[photo by Lastnitesparty]

AltBags sometimes manage to find an aloof altDiva. They are both relatively disconnected from modern trends, but still manage to have an intimidating presence on their FB/Myspace profiles & in person.

[Photo by Lastnightspary]

AltBros could transition their personal brands back to being relatively mainstream. However, altBags are ALT4LIFE. This AltBag Blipster is Alt4Life. His personal brand is set 4 life.

[Photo by thecobrasnake]

Being an ALTBAG is not always an insult. Some of the world’s most successful alternative entrepreneurs can be classified as altBags. Mark “Cobrasnake” Hunter is a good example of how altBags are either 0% zany, or 100% authentic zany. AltBags cannot be contrived-zany-core.

[Photo by the selby]

There are numerous altBags featured in this video. The various AltBags in this video include a party pic bro, a promoter, and various DJs/musicians. These altBags are truly passionate about their scene. AltBags can sometimes have self-important concepts of their place in alternative society, which makes it difficult for the socially conscious to take them seriously.

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Another great video example of an AltBag is the guy named JUAN from the Pitchfork.TV series “Juan’s Basement.” Basically, bands come to play in this bro’s basement, and he acts how you would expect an altBag to act if a buzzworthy band came to hang out. He establishes an authentic connection with the band, making it clear to observers that he is truly ‘down’ with the band by joking with them/being the bro who ‘is interested in them like no1 else is bc he is a true fan AND true friend.’

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<3 busting balls <3

Do u know any altBags in your local scene? Have you ever encountered an alternative celebrity who acted like the biggest altBag? Are altBags driven to make money off alternative markets, without always ‘getting’ the alt zeitgeist? However, some of the most successful altBag entrepreneurs accidentally stumble into an ‘ironic niche’ where they took themselves so seriously that it was impossible to believe that they were being serious, creating a portal in which their brand was fun to follow/make fun of (a.k.a. BUZZWORTHY). Do u have any important qualifications to add to the definition of ALTBAG?
////Welcome to the altBag era!////

Anyways, this video from Pitchfork.tv where they ‘hang out’ with the popular indie-rock-concept-band, ManMan, is pretty hilarious. Put on ur sunglasses, bright coloured tank top, and get on your classic bicycle, cuz it’s gonna be a very authentic ride! (Moustaches are also encouraged.)

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The funniest quotes/events in this video:

• The Intro douchebag quote: “This is our pop album. I thought our last album was our pop album, but this album is DEFINITELY our pop album.”
• Deep ‘we care about our music’ quote: ‘We held one of the band members in the bathtub to stimulate drowning.’
• Getting to see their dedication to recording original samples, like popping fireworks! and dogs barking!
• Riding bikes!
• Riding Bikes pt 4!
• My favourite moment = how passionate they are about recording the table of items falling over.
• Finally understanding what it means to be a foley artist, AKA, the dudes who make the sounds you hear in movies.

The video style/the portrayal of ManMan really reminds me of that one skit from the MTV Movie Awards in the Stiller-Garofalo era, where they pretended to be the people who recorded innovative audio samples for movies. The skit portrayed their over-the-top desire to find ‘the perfect audio samples’ pretty perfectly. I think HUMAN GIANT recently kind of ripped off the foley artist concept, but put their own Human-Giant-typical-gimmick spin on it [link].

What’s up with ManMan? I feel like they’re one of those bands that either 1) have a fan base of people who live in caves (similar to Fraggles) or 2) are the type of band that people are only required to ‘know about’ but not listen to, so you can say that you know about them in conversations with douchebags who care too much about music.

But seriously, I think passionate ManMan fans are atleast 25% ‘creature’ and/or ‘beast.’ I haven’t really listened to them though, but it’s just a hunch.