OWS social media marketing (is it more capitalist than capitalist?)

Whenever they decide it's time to sell out, I think there are some great thinkers behind Occupy Wall Street who will make pretty good one-percenters (that is, if they aren't already…).

O.W.S. seems to have its roots in the sixties counterculture.  In one of the great ironies of American history, the anti-capitalist hippie aesthetic has turned out to be a veritable gold mine for people who are willing to, well… capitalize.  Just thinking of a few:

Easy Rider

Hair

The Wonder Years

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

the "classic rock" radio format

festival concerts (example: Bonnaroo)

You could probably think of some others yourself.  How many Woodstock movies, retrospectives, box sets, t-shirts… How much profit have the suits made off of nostalgia for this one concert?  What about the side-effect of brands that are only tangentially, but fondly, connected to hippie culture (Marshall amplifiers, Harley Davidson motorcycles)?  Have you ever bought any hippie-inspired clothes in a Wal-Mart?  Is this anti-corporate?

Though hippie supporters like (beware, upcoming link somewhat NSFW) Bill Hicks would be loathe to admit it, counterculture or outcast movements become big and important only when they contain an element of brilliant marketing.  Sorry, Bill.  Much like hippies, the occupiers wish to avoid contributing to mainstream capitalist culture… except the occasional ad buy, of course.

The Occupy movement strikes me as a hippie movement for the internet and social-media savvy.  They spread their message through Twitter hashtags (#OWS, #OccupyWallStreet) and take videos of themselves getting arrested in hopes of going viral on YouTube.  This tumblr is in the running for most ubiquitous of the OWS memes.  It's a great viral campaign, because it's simple enough for people to easily interact with, but also flexible enough for people to be creative.

And if marketers in the business world aren't paying close attention to this stuff, they aren't doing their jobs.  Call me cynical, but if you can sell a movement this way, I don't think it's a big stretch to believe you can sell a product this way.

Hey guys, you can go ahead and keep destroying the capitalist mentality and all.  But meanwhile, in the spirit of your movement, a few capitalists are probably going to be borrowing your stuff for free.