The Hidden Persuaders: Marketing Consumerism to 'Tweens' & Teens
THE "TWEEN MARKET"One of the most important recent developments in advertising to kids has been the defining of a "tween" market (ages 8 to 12).
No longer little children, and not yet teens, tweens are starting to develop their sense of identity and are anxious to cultivate a sophisticated self-image. And marketers are discovering there's lots of money to be made by treating tweens like teenagers.
The marketing industry is forcing tweens to grow up quickly. Industry research reveals that children 11 and older don't consider themselves children anymore. The Toy Manufacturers of America have changed their target market from birth to 14, to birth to ten years of age.
A 2000 report from the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. revealed how Hollywood routinely recruits tweens (some as young as nine) to evaluate its story concepts, commercials, theatrical trailers and rough cuts for R-rated movies.
By treating pre-adolescents as independent, mature consumers, marketers have been very successful in removing the gatekeepers (parents) from the picture—leaving tweens vulnerable to potentially unhealthy messages about body image, sexuality, relationships and violence.
MARKETING 'COOL' TO TEENS
Corporations capitalize on the age-old insecurities and self-doubts of teens by making them believe that to be truly cool, you need their product.
According to No Logo author Naomi Klein, in the 1990s corporations discovered that the youth market was able and willing to pay top dollar in order to be "cool." The corporations have been chasing the elusive cool factor ever since.
Some companies hire "cool hunters" or "cultural spies" to infiltrate the world of teens and bring back the latest trends. Trying to stay ahead of the next trend can be a tricky business however, as cultural critic Douglas Rushkoff explains.
"The minute a cool trend is discovered, repackaged, and sold to kids at the mall—it's no longer cool. So the kids turn to something else, and the whole process starts all over again."
Teen anger, activism and attitude have become commodities that marketers co-opt, package and then sell back to teens. It's getting harder to tell what came first: youth culture, or the marketed version of youth culture.
Does the media reflect today's teens, or are today's teens influenced by media portrayals of young people? It's important that parents discuss these issues with their teens, and challenge the materialistic values promoted in the media.
BODY IMAGE & ADVERTISING
It's difficult for teens to develop healthy attitudes towards sexuality and body image when much of the advertising aimed at them is filled with images of impossibly thin, fit, beautiful and highly sexualized young people.
The underlying marketing message is that there is a link between physical beauty and sex appeal—and popularity success, and happiness.
Fashion marketers such as Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch and Guess use provocative marketing campaigns featuring young models. These ads are selling more than clothing to teens—they're also selling adult sexuality.
Studies show that while teens received most of their information about sex from the media: magazines, TV, the Web, radio and movies, the majority say their parents shape their sexual decisions most, so it's important that parents talk to their kids about healthy sexuality, and about exploitive media images.
Media images can contribute to feelings of body-hatred and self-loathing that can fuel eating problems. While body image has long been considered a female issue, an increasing number of boys now also suffer from eating disorders.
A 1998 Health Canada survey on the health of Canadian youth noted that by grade ten, over three-quarters of the girls and one half of the boys surveyed said there they weren't happy with their bodies.
Studies have also found that boys, like girls, may turn to smoking to help them lose weight.
TOBACcO & ALCOHOL
Tobacco and alcohol companies have long targeted young people, hoping to develop brand loyalties that will last a lifetime.
It's crucial for the tobacco industry to continually cultivate new and younger smokers to replace the thousands who quit each year—and those who die of tobacco-related diseases.
The tobacco industry targets youth by:
* linking smoking in ads with being "cool" and independent and with taking risks (particularly physical risks)
* placing ads in magazines with high adolescent readerships, such as Rolling Stone, Maxim or People
* having movie stars, who are popular with young people, smoke in films
* sponsoring rock concerts and sporting events
* placing advertising near high schools: on billboards, in bus shelters and in variety stores.
The alcohol and beer industries were quick to recognize the value of the Internet as an effective tool for reaching young people. The Web offers marketers a medium that is a huge part of youth culture—with the added bonus that it's unregulated, with very little parental supervision.
In 1999, the U.S. Center for Media Education found that 62 per cent of beer and alcohol Web sites displayed what they call "youth-oriented features"—that is, activities that appeal to the adolescent and pre-adolescent set.
The alcohol and beer industries also target youth by:
* running ads during TV shows with a high number of young views, such as The Simpsons, South Park or sporting events
* placing ads in magazines with high adolescent readerships, such as Rolling Stone, Maxim or People
* sponsoring rock concerts and sporting events
* creating and extensively marketing "alcopops"—sweetened, lightly carbonated drinks that don't taste like alcohol (think Mike's Hard Lemonade)