(Season 13: Margaritaville, first aired on Comedy Central Mar. 26th 2009)

Last week’s episode of South Park was funny. But the learning moment was a bit off the mark.

The lesson that Kyle “teaches” the community only perpetuates the myth that somehow the primary driver of consumer purchasing habits is “mood” or “feeling.” As though somehow if we could just get everyone in America permanently hopped up on Ecstasy, the mood would change and we’d all feel motivated to spend more.

Just to be clear, it’s a FACT that the key determinant of a consumer’s decision to purchase anything is the amount of money he/she has available to spend. Marketing studies show that “actually having money to spend” ranks even higher than “available in fuchsia” or “optional cup holders” as a consumer behavior indicator.
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