The Show

I Will Not Be Bought is an on-line community and interactive, music- based performance that tours middle and high schools nationwide, focusing on the influence of advertising on body image, nutrition, substance abuse and peer pressure.

Our mission is to empower YOU to be a critical consumer.

We do this through our live show and website community by:
   --explaining how advertising works
   --analyzing real advertisements
   --offering real nutrition and product information
   --encouraging discussion around the impact of media
   --telling stories of triumph
   --celebrating your individuality
   --rocking out

LIVE SHOW: The first half of the show is performed as an interactive slide show and lecture showcasing the tools marketers use to manipulate your buying behavior. The remaining time is for rocking out to a live music performance from Sunset West, a hula hoop contest and a candid question-and-answer period.

WEB COMMUNITY: Every week we post an offensive ad and you can join in on the slam.  We ask you to submit your stories of personal triumph that have made you who you are.  Every month, we will pick one great story as the inspiration for a song. That's right, we will write a song about you! It will be available for FREE download for all website participants. We also have a nutrition 101 section to ask all of your nutrition questions.

Why you matter to advertisers:

YOU ARE VALUABLE TO ADVERTISERS: Teenagers are considered the most valuable demographic to advertisers, the largest demographic and growing. Teens spend over $200 billion per year on snack food, clothing and entertainment.

--YOU HAVE MONEY TO SPEND: Without car payments, house payments, or    student loan debt, you spend your money on stuff-music, clothes, and games. Advertisers know this, and they will do whatever it takes to get your dolla billz.

--YOU ARE TRENDSETTERS: What do you think about people who wear Abercrombie? What do you think about people who wear Vans shoes? We define ourselves with our brands and advertisers work to shape how a brand is perceived, particularly that owning it will make you cool, liked or desirable. These efforts yield a high return: one loyal, lifelong consumer is valued as high as $100,000 for a single retailer.

--YOU ARE YOUNG: Your purchases no longer go through your parents, but you are still learning and deciding how you’ll spend your money. Companies hope to become part of what you value when you are young so that you’ll continue consuming that product as you age. You are so valuable, they will resort to very low brow persuasive techniques to manipulate your dollar. And they believe you aren’t smart enough to notice.

Why you matter to us:

Nearly two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and nearly one-third of kids are overweight. This is one of the most obvious and literal examples of how mindless we have become with our consumption. Young people spend about six and a half hours a day consuming media, nearly half of all food advertising is for unhealthy food, and the bodies we see on the screen represent less than 5% of what actual people look like. Our entire perception of what is “normal” about bodies and eating is completely skewed by the emaciated celebrity and the high amounts of sugar and fat in most of our food.

There is a war going on for your mind. When you understand how advertising works, and the tools used to control you-- and your dollar-- YOU HAVE POWER. Your greatest weapon is your understanding of the media landscape and a focused effort to understand and value yourself. We hope that by showing you behind the curtain of how advertising works, and providing a forum for discussion and celebration of you, that you will feel empowered to take greater care in how you consume.

People are starting to notice what we do. Check out our recent press:
   --The Alternative Press (AP), May 2010, "Speak Out Op Ed"
   --Hamptons.com, Nov 2009, "Rockstar Nutritionist Brings Crowd of Southampton Kids to Their Feet"

Who?

Created and performed by rock band Sunset West, led by Jill & Mark Jayne, and based in New York City.
   Jill Jayne, MS, RD, The Rockstar Nutritonist
   Jill holds her bachelor’s in nutrition from Penn State University and her master’s    in nutrition education from Columbia University.
  
   Mark Jayne
   Mark holds his bachelor’s in communications from Penn State University.