Youth powers TV, but is that smart business?

"That was a cool thing for them to do," he says. The young guitar player says he's been using it ever since. But not because he's particularly loyal to Gillette.

"I'm not a brand person." The truth is more mundane, he says, "I'm just lazy. If somebody gave me another razor and it worked just as well, I'd use that one."

He watches about an hour of TV a day, mostly local news, but some network, he says, adding that there is no satellite or cable in his apartment.

Mr. Sisinger rarely buys products on the basis of what he sees, in either the shows or the ads. He shops mostly to buy stuff that he needs, he says.

When Friday rolls around, and he gets his paycheck, he'll shop by category, not by brand. "I just identify the stuff I need in my head by the type of thing it is, and I look for the best price."

He's a pretty simple guy, he says, which is just as well. Living in the small town of Chillicothe in southern Ohio, pretty much limits his choices. There are not many malls to choose from, he says.

Sisinger works as an audio engineer while he attends a trade school in the same profession. He used to play lead guitar in a band with three other buddies, but he's currently working on establishing his studio engineering skills.

The Ohio native says there are only a few items that he buys by name. His girlfriend once gave him Hugo Boss aftershave, so he buys that when he shops for cologne. And his mom brought home Right Guard Xtreme Sport deodorant for him, so he always goes for that brand when he shops.

Otherwise, he says, he's easily influenced by his friends. "If there's a vibe out there about something being trendy or fun, I'll probably give it a try," he says. He started drinking Sobe brand drinks because he likes the lizard on the bottle, but also because his roommate, Nate, recommended it.

Sisinger says he also saw the ad campaign and liked it. "The presentation was kind of witty and cool, so I thought I'd give it a try." When it comes to the larger purchases in life, such as a car, Sisinger says he'd be more likely to buy by brand. But even then, not because of an ad campaign as much as a personal connection. "I'll probably just end up getting a car like the one my parents drive because I like it," he says.

As for the assumption that many advertisers make, that he will start forming brand attachments, especially as he gets into his 40s, Sisinger says he hopes not. "I would like to think that throughout my life, I'd try new things.... I might weed out the bad stuff and stick with the good. I hope I'll go on trying new things just like I do now."

It's dinner time in Los Angeles. For 59-year-old Laurie Burton, that means a trip to the local gourmet grocery, the nearby Gelson's.

"I shop every day," she says. "We don't like to plan ahead much."

When she does take a wagon down the aisles, there are only two things she buys strictly by label.

"Olive oil and toilet paper," Mrs. Burton says with a laugh. She got hooked on Bertolli's oil in 1965 by her former mother-in-law, who was Italian, and swore by the label that now never leaves Burton's kitchen.

As for Charmin, well, she asks, "how can you think of buying anything else....?" Her voice trails off.

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