Teens have grown into a valuable goldmine to marketer and advertising companies. They are also a notoriously difficult group to sell to in a more traditional manner…but once swayed, marketers aim to “brand” them for life, from cradle to grave. This is why teen marketing is a major drive to success for many popular brands. In my own opinion, this style of marketing has grown exponentially since the dawn of MTV in the 80s.
Why exactly do marketers love teens so much as a demographic? There are a variety of reasons that can be listed, as pointed out in the Frontline story “The Merchants of Cool” , but the one I think everyone can agree on is this – teens as a collective whole have money to burn and less “real world” responsibility to take the money they have from them. As a result, the items that they buy are largely recreational and luxury items, like clothing, electronics, movies, games, and music. What better market to pander to? They make many consumer choices independently of adult or parental input, indeed, many parents throw money at their kids to make up for not spending enough time or attention on them. They have significant influence on family purchases as well, most notably, entertainment. Marketer Gene DelVecchio estimates that “kids influence about 70% of household purchases.” [Gene Del Vecchio, “Creating Evercool: A Marketer’s Guide to a Kid’s Heart”, Pelican Publishing, 1997, p. 23.] But perhaps most importantly, companies hope that once they have “converted” (branded) certain persons to prefer the product they sell, they have made a consumer for the long term.
How do marketers find these kids? Sending out “coolhunters” is one method, as shown in the article we read “The Coolhunt” by Malcom Gladwell, or they can employ focus groups and cross marketing, which was highlighted in the Frontline special “The Merchants of Cool”. Advertising to teens (and adults) can be found everywhere, just look around you…advertising is easily found in magazines, in movies, in most TV shows, and on the internet (more and more in the arena of Social Media, as well). Licensed products, in the form of clothing brands, personal products, accessories, games, and media in all forms abound. Schools happily make contracts with snack and beverage companies and then sell prominent visual advertising space and sponsorships to companies that provide the highest financial incentive. Companies mine demographic info about teen spending habits and preferences from seemingly innocuous internet surveys, or social gaming apps (answer these questions for FREE credits!), providing the marketing industry with important tools to discover the new “cool”. Marketing comes at kids from all directions, all day and night, everywhere. The music industry is particularly effective at this. None of it is meant to provide a happier experience so much as to keep the production line moving - “The MTV machine doesn’t listen to the young so it can make the young happier…The MTV machine tunes in so it can figure out how to pitch what Viacom has to sell.” - Mark Crispin Mille (The Merchants of Cool)
Then what do Marketers to do with all of this information? Marketers know very well how to capitalize on important issues and anxieties that have a particularly strong effect on teen markets – it is, after all, their goal. Universal fears are purposely raised, such as body image, or desires such as peer acceptance, coolness, and a desire to be the leader, the forefront – to be a Trendsetter. These themes are used repeatedly in advertising in general, but can be seen as potentially more damaging when directed towards youth culture. Marketers also often zero in on themes and attitudes that parents might find inappropriate or offensive. The most notable example may be sex, a main theme of most pop music marketed today…such as the “midriff” archetype mentioned in The Merchants of Cool (and exemplified by Britney Spears). Other themes may include anger, acting out (Rage Against The Machine or Limp Biskut are fine examples of marketing an outward theme of aggression and disenfranchisement) , or even violence, alcohol and drug use (as exemplified by many current rap artists such as Rick Ross or Eminem), further escalating the perceived “cool” associated with the product being sold. And the changes are continuously noted, and adjusted - “We’ve embarked on a pretty massive transformation of the brand, overhauling everything we were doing in programming and marketing,” said Stephen Friedman, general manager at MTV in New York, as “we said goodbye to Generation X” — born, roughly, from 1965 to 1979 — “and embraced the millennials.” [Stuart Elliot, “MTV Strives to Keep Up With Young Viewers”, New York Times, January 30, 2011 ]
Is this advertising effective? I believe that can be seen in how many teens currently want to emulate such artists as Eminem, Kesha, or Nikki Minaj ….they are presented with a certain look and attitude, and consequentially, those items can soon be found for purchase in stores. But advertising works best when it creates insecurity, doubt, or fear. Common insecurities that particularly invite exploitation are doubts about appearance, and perceived sexiness among their peers. A successful ad will convince the viewer that something needs fixing, and then enthusiastically offers the solution. It just happens to be the product they are selling, imagine that! The message applied is that teens (or even adults) aren’t really good enough the way they are, but buying this product will help them fix that problem. Many kids buy into that message, consciously or not, and as a result, can become excessively hypercritical of themselves if they don’t fit into such a carefully crafted false image created by marketers. They come to believe that having the product is necessary for their happiness. Marketers are more than happy to fill those perceived voids, acting as a sort of fun-house mirror, warping real perception for something else, which can be improved upon, over and over, selling more products with each doubt raised.
Is this truly harmful? The current generations is undoubtedly growing up in an increasingly materialistic society, more so than we have ever had previously. On all sides inundated by images of the consumerism ideal – “Buy This, and You Will Be Happy”. There is less patience and more desire for instant gratification. Worst of all, many of the things that are advertised to teens do not promote healthy development. Some people feel this is “harmless”, but think about how much MORE all of us, but especially vulnerable teen demographics, are exposed in a constant manner to Marketing. Not only do we have the constant barrage from traditional media, but we are always on our smartphones and tablets these days, on Facebook, and other social media, now being asked to “like” a product in order to win! To impress friends! To keep abreast the trends! Sure, that seems less harmful…don’t you like what your friends like too? They have good taste, right? The question here is - is it REALLY a friend giving a good recommendation, or just more marketing being presented to all with a bit of a new spin?
If there is truly a concern for the well being of teens and the culture of consumerism, we need to primarily become AWARE of how we are being sold to, and delineate where an individual’s REAL needs and desires are, rather than literally buy in to what we are being handed even as the marketing and advertising industry pull the cash they so desire from our pockets. Become an informed and aware consumer. Teens especially need to become more critical viewers of advertising, recognize what’s behind the hard sell. Learn to, and teach our youth, to identify the themes advertisers are using to connect with them. We could all benefit from learning to recognize when a supposed need that we
have has a quick and fast solution in a product being sold to us. Is the product really going to have the impact that the ad implies? I’d place my bets with “Not as likely as you think”.
Works Cited
[Gene Del Vecchio, “Creating Evercool: A Marketer’s Guide to a Kid’s Heart”, Pelican Publishing, 1997, p. 23.]
[Malcolm Gladwell, "The Coolhunt", New Yorker magazine, March 117, 1997 http://www.gladwell.com/1997/1997_03_17_a_cool.htm]
[Stuart Elliot, “MTV Strives to Keep Up With Young Viewers”, New York Times, January 30, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/business/media/31adcol.html?pagewanted=all ]
[PBS, Frontline, “The Merchants of Cool”, 2001]
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