pradeep pandey

7/24/2019 Pradeep Pandey

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role of tweens in advertising

No longer little children, and not yet teens, tweens are starting to develop theirsense of identity and are anxious to cultivate a sophisticated self-image. And

marketers are discovering theres lots of money to be made by treating tweenslike teenagers.

The marketing industry is forcing tweens to grow up uickly. !ndustry researchreveals that children "" and older dont consider themselves children anymore.The Toy #anufacturers of America have changed their target market from birthto "$, to birth to ten years of age.

!n its %&&& report to congress, the 'ederal Trade (ommission )'T(* in the +..raised concerns on how ollywood was routinely recruiting tweens )some asyoung as nine* to evaluate its story concepts, commercials, theatrical trailersand rough cuts for -rated movies. !n its %&&/ report, the 'T( noted 0explicitand pervasive targeting of very young children for 12-"3 movies4, withollywood continuing to conduct market research on children as young as ageseven for the advertising of these films. 5"6

7y treating pre-adolescents as independent, mature consumers, marketers havebeen very successful in removing the gatekeepers )parents* from the picture8leaving tweens vulnerable to potentially unhealthy messages about body image,sexuality, relationships and violence.

Marketing cool to teens

0The entertainment companies 9 look at the teen market as part of this massiveempire theyre coloni:ing.)obert #c(hesney, The Merchants of Cool, %&&&*

(orporations capitali:e on the age-old insecurities and self-doubts of teens bymaking them believe that to be truly cool, you need their product.

According to No Logo author Naomi ;lein, in the "//&s, corporations

discovered that the youth market was able and willing to pay top dollar in orderto be 0cool.4 The corporations have been chasing the elusive cool factorever since.

Trying to stay ahead of the next trend can be a tricky business however, ascultural critic


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tests. >ften these forms of data collection use the language of empowermentand encourage teens to spread the word to their friends. 'or example, aftercompleting a ui: on the (>#>girl site, teens are told? COSMOgirl! Hasheard a lot of stories, so lets get yours straight. What maes you so C!" #e

sure to $ost this to your fa%e social net&oring site and lin 'ac tocosmogirl.com ( your friends are $ro'a'ly interested in &hat you ha%e to say

)&e no& &e are*!

Teen anger, activism and attitude have become commodities that marketers co-opt, package and then sell back to teens. !ts getting harder to tell what camefirst? youth culture, or the marketed version of youth culture.


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0Advertising has always sold anxiety, and it certainly sells anxiety to the young.!ts always telling them theyre losers unless theyre cool.4)#ark (rispin #iller, The Merchants of Cool, %&&&*

Tobacco and alcohol companies have long targeted young people, hoping to

develop brand loyalties that will last a lifetime.

Cith smoking killing over $D,&&& (anadians each year, and thousands of othersuitting, 5$6its crucial for the tobacco industry to continually cultivate new andyounger smokers.

!n (anada, government attempts to restrict tobacco advertising culminated in a%&&E decision by the upreme (ourt of (anada that upheld federal legislationrestricting tobacco advertising, banning tobacco sponsorships and reuiringlarger warnings on cigarette packages. 5D6This is significant when it comes to

youth because studies have clearly found that nonsmoking adolescents whowere more aware of or receptive to tobacco advertising were more likely to

become smokers later. 5F62irls are a particular target of the tobacco industry,with brands in the +.. like uperslims Gights and (amel No. / designedspecifically to appeal to females.


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reason. Chen it comes to youth, research shows that alcohol advertisingnormali:es drinking, changes young peoples attitudes about alcohol and islinked to early initiation to drinking and risky behaviour.

(ompared to tobacco, legislation relating to alcohol advertising is less

restrictive, which provides more opportunities to engage youth. The +..-based(enter on Alcohol #arketing and Oouth )(A#O* notes that studies have foundthat exposure to television beer advertisements on TB, alcohol ads in maga:ines,alcohol ads on billboards, in-store beer marketing displays, beer concessions atsporting events and alcohol use in movies, increased the likelihood of drinkingamong young people. 5/6

#any of the strategies used by the tobacco industry can also be applied toalcohol advertising. The alcohol and beer industries also target youth by?

running ads during TB shows with a high number of young views, such

as The Sim$sons, South +aror sporting events

placing ads in maga:ines with high adolescent readerships, such as

olling Stone,Ma-imor+eo$le

sponsoring rock concerts and sporting events

creating and extensively marketing 0alcopops48sweetened, lightly

carbonated drinks that dont taste like alcohol )think #ikes ard Gemonade*

Ginking TB commercials and maga:ine ads with online videos and

immersive Hlifestyle websites that further engage young consumers.

The most significant medium for reaching youth remains television. (A#Ofound that youth exposure to alcohol advertising on +.. television increased E"

per cent between %&&" and %&&/. 5"&6!n addition, TB commercials often providedirect links to websites and online social media platforms such as OouTube,

'lickr, Twitter, and 'acebook.

The alcohol and beer industries were uick to recogni:e the value of the !nternetas an effective tool for reaching young people. The Ceb offers marketers amedium that is a huge part of youth culture8with the added bonus that itsunregulated, with very little parental supervision.

!n "///, the +.. (enter for #edia ducation found that F% per cent of beer andalcohol websites displayed what they call 0youth-oriented features48that is,activities that appeal to the adolescent and pre-adolescent set. !n %&"", (A#O

released a report on digital marketing by the alcohol industry that noted, amongother findings, that?


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Ten leading alcohol brands have more than "F.D million people 0liking4

their 'acebook brand pages.

Ten alcohol brands with youth appeal had uploaded 3D,E%D photos and

3EE videos to their 'acebook pages.

'ans of brands with youth appeal had uploaded "D,$"F photos and /I

videos to the brand 'acebook pages, taking their messages viral.

That sexually suggestive photos and photos indicating binge consumption

of alcohol were on the industrys social media sites.

That 0age affirmation4 technology to control exposure of minors on these

websites was meaningless.5""6

Packaging girlhood and boyhood

As they make the transition from childhood to the teenage years, tweens )agesI-"%* are continually bombarded with limiting media stereotypes on what it is to

be a girl or a boy in todays world. This 0packaged childhood4 is sold to themthrough ads and productsP and across all media, from television, music, moviesand maga:ines to video games and the !nternet.

!f you believe the media messages aimed at kids, tween girls are mini-fashionistaswho are pretty and sexy and who are obsessed with boys, friends,shopping, pop stars and celebritiesP tween boys are independent and strong, and

preoccupied with sports, video games, adventure, cars, music, and hanging outwith friends.

Ooung girls in particular are targeted by marketers, and the focus of these ads Lbeauty, sexuality, relationships, and consumerism L is worrisome for parents.According to haron Gamb and Gyn #ikel 7rown, authors of +acagingirlhood, images of girls as 0sexy, diva, boy-cra:y shoppers4 can be uite

harmful to their self-development. At an age when girls 0could be developingskills, talents, and interests that will serve them well their whole life, they arebeing enticed into a dream of specialness through pop stardom andsexual ob=ectivity.4

#edia stereotypes of boys are no less harmful? they are nearly always presentedas 0tough guys4 and, as with girls, there is a consistent emphasis on their

physical appearance. Ads and movies communicate a masculine ideal that isathletic and muscular. !n fact, over the last twenty years action figures for

properties such as Star Wars and .. /oehave gained more muscles than even

the most dedicated body builders. ap and hip hop videos reinforce this narrowvision of masculinity? particularly popular with youth, this musical culture L


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whose origins are broad and diverse L has narrowed to present a single,stereotypical image of masculinity and relations between the sexes.

xample

A tween is vaguely defined as a prepubescent between the ages of I to "$, / to"%, or I to "%, depending on whom you believe. )ome industries, such as thewireless sector, categori:e the age as an unbelievable F to "% years old,

prompting one to ponder, Qin betweenQ what@* egardless of the exact agedefinition, most agree that the breaking point of a QchildQ becoming a QtweenQ is

by the American fifth grade )approximately ten years old*, when heRshe re=ectsmore childlike images and associations and aspires to be more like a teen.

(ontrary to hyped-up industry reports, the economic power of most tweens is

dependent on parents and other family adults through allowances and gifts,versus the independent purchasing power of teens through after-school =obs.)3F&Oouth.com puts the teens-with-=obs number at F3 percent.* 'or as muchindustry talk as there is about tweens being the decision-maker driving

purchases, ultimately it is still the parent in control. >f the reported +S D"billion spent by tweens themselves, an additional S"E& billion was spent byparents and family members directly for them, according to 3F&Oouth.com,which focuses on youth marketing.

Chether its the media aging the child or that children are simply evolving fasterthese days, marketers have been uick to notice that the growing distinctionsbetween childhood ages are pronounced enough to warrant products, services,retail stores and marketing tactics specific to the QbridgerQ age group. 7uild-A-7ear, 1aint Oour >wn 1ottery, and the American 2irl tore are =ust a few +retail stores that were specifically designed for tweens -- and namely tweengirls.

American 2irl, based on books, dolls and accessories for girls ages E to "", lastyear en=oyed a %D percent increase in sales )as 7arbie sales slumped*, taking inS3E/." million dollars. purred by the success of its New Oork and (hicagostores, parent company #attel )#AT* is creating its third destination shoppingstore in Gos Angeles featuring a whopping $&,&&& suare feet, including a "D&-seat theater for a live 7roadway-style QAmerican 2irl evue,Q hair salon fordolls, bookstore, and a cafe where girls can en=oy tea and lunch with their dolls.Chereas most trips to the toy store can be as inexpensive as a few dollars,starting prices at American 2irl are about SE/.

Gest you think American 2irl is about teen-attitude toting images a la 7rat: and

other similar brands, American 2irl is en=oying its success with dolls and story


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lines based on various ethnic characters from history, such as ;aya, a Ne: 1ercefrom "EF$, and #olly, an !rish immigrant growing up during Corld Car !!.

Another company that has capitali:ed on ethnic diversity and navigated the

increasingly difficult toy market is the #anhattan Toy (ompany, with itssuccessful 2roovy 2irls line of dolls. The uniue selling point@ ach dollfeatures a girl of different skin tones, hair types and facial features reflecting thereal American ethnic landscape of today.

ince its launch in "//I, 2roovy 2irls dolls and accessories were a categorybestseller until %&&3 and won Q2irl Toy of the OearQ and Qpecialty Toy of theOearQ awards from the Toy !ndustry Association )T!A* at the %&&3 Toy 'air in

New Oork (ity. Cith the demise of many specialty toy stores such as Uany7rainy, Noodle ;idoodle, and tore of ;nowledge, the dolls were launched in

Target )

T2T* stores in early %&&D to introduce the brand to American tweens en masse.

As the girls tween market becomes saturated, attention is moving more to theboys-only area as a niche to fill. iot #edia is a website-turned-media and toycompany that capitali:es on the Qgross-outQ humor factor that boys so love.Gaunched this year, obert Thorne )the vengali behind catapulting the >lsentwins to billion-dollar heaven* is looking to create a similar dent in the boys

market.

Cithin the plethora of products, there are still areas where parents want directcontrol, especially in something like wireless phones and services. ;id giants


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Then there are the infamous slumber parties pioneered by market research firm2irls !ntelligence Agency as an intimate, if not covert, form of a focus group intween girls own environment? their bedrooms. 2!A also features a Q7est'riends 'oreverQ )7''* network where girls are given products to discuss

among their friends, reporting back resulting comments to a 2!A agent. (lientsof 2!A include #attel, rwellian and, in some cases, are downright disturbed

by the child-as-guinea pig approach. !n %&&$, a public interest group asked the'ederal Trade (ommission )'((* to Quse its subpoena power to get access tomarketer research studies to help determine if online data collection actuallysucceeds in helping advertisers to reach kids and tweens.Q !t also asked for amoratorium to be placed by the advertising industry on interactive tactics thatQcould potentially harm or negatively affect children and youth.Q

17 also offers a website called Q


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Toddlers, children and tweens represent the mainattractions in terms of TBcommercials and because of thepositive reaction triggered, it is highly importantto measure thelevel of this phenomenon on the omanian market. Although,theimportance of the tweens and children segments is constantly growing, the

omanian market is still at an early stage compared to countries such as +nitedtates or +nited ;ingdom where this phenomenon is taking everybody bystorm.(hildren and especially tweens nowadays represent a highly important segmentfor marketers due to three main reasons? they dispose of increasingly largeamounts of money which ualify them as an important primary market, willgrow and develop into mature consumers ensuring a loyal future market, theyhave started to develop brand loyalty at an early age, positive attitudes that willmost likely last until adulthood for certain brands and last but not least, are

powerful influencers for the household purchases in general.

At the same time, the marketing activities and especially advertising continuesto expand in omania, as constantly ways of improving the brand performanceare sought after. (onseuently, childrenRtweens find themselves casted in anheavily increasing number of commercials due to the characteristics describedabove, but also since the publics reaction in general is a very good one whichhelps cutting through the clutter and increase the attractiveness of thecommercials. Although, it is easy to observe that this phenomenon ofcommercials featuring children and tweens is developing consistently, however

the exact extent was not yet uantified, nor did the product categories morelikely to resort to this techniue.

(hildren and tweens being features in advertisings do not only influence themain decision makers, meaning parents, but also peak the curiosity and interestof their pears in the respective brand, creating awareness and most likelyconsideration. 'rom now on, in case the product is suitable for the children andtween segment, the young viewer will process the information received throughthe ad and become persuaded to buy the product, or in case it is related to

products or services not aimed at this target, will start play their role asinfluencers. aving all this in mind, uantifying and understanding the

penetration rate of commercials featuring children and tweens along withanaly:ing their content represents an important aspect that will provide valuableinformation on how to better apply it, while at the same time build awarenessamong parents related to the si:e of this phenomenon so as to take decisions inthe future in the best interest of their children. 1revious research focused mainlyon providing information on the number of hoursRminutes of commercialstargeted at children and the ratio of air space filled by these ads during airing

time that was addressed to this audience. ;ot: tory, in a similar experimentconducted in "//$, uantify the number of commercials aired during aturday


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morning childrens programming so as to identify the number of advertisingsfor food items.

The approach used for this paper aims at providing a broader view, as the author

will be focusing on analy:ing the whole spectrum of TB programs, not only theshows addressed to children, covering both weekdays and weekends in order toidentify the commercials featuring children, toddlers and tweens, uantify themand conduct a content analysis so as to reveal the product categories mostappropriate for featuring children and tweens along with the elements with thehighest penetration. The goal of this research is to see past the commercialsaddressing children and featuring children and tweens as actors and try andcapture the extent of the phenomenon of them being distributed in adsexclusivelly due to their increasing influence over the family acuisitions. All

these actions determine children and tweens to mature uickly as consumersdue to increased exposure to marketing activities in general and commercialsand materials featuring childrentheir age, that make the materials moreapproachable and in the end more memorable.

RESEAR! "ES#$%

The research techniue applied was content analysis of commercials featuringchildren and tweens, ads aired by the number one TB station in omania, 1roTB with a market share of "$,"K )A#A-2'; omania*.


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'ood products and especially confectionary, represent the area most inclinedfor including children or tweens in their advertising, regardless of the type of

product? for adults only or also appropriate for children and tweens. >verallfood items account for E$K of the commercials, while toys or other services

designed for children and tweens are in minority. This situation reinforces thebelief that childrens and tweens eating habits could be heavily influenced dueto the behavioural displayed in commercials, especially for less healthy

products such as sweets, and drinks with high content of sugar.

Prod(ct categories Percentage

(onfectionary $DK

MuiceR still drinks "FK7reakfast cereals "3K

2ames and toys "&K

#edia? (omic booksR booksR

movies

/K

>ther EK

Total )**+

#ain product categories addressed to children and tweens featuring them in theadvertising.

!n terms of children and tweens acting as triggers for parents by stirring theemotional side and determining them to consider purchasing the respectiveitems, confectionary rank first, followed by laundry detergents and eveninsurance and banking services.

Prod(ct categories Percentage

(onfectionary %FK

Gaundry detergents "FK

!nsurance and banking services "DK

avory products "3K

Telecom services and handsets "&K


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Automotive FK

1et food DK

1ersonal care products 3K

>ther FK

Total "&&K

#ain product categories not addressed to children and tweens featuring them inthe advertising

,%'&S#,%

The current research proved that children and tweens prove to be highly cast incommercials across categories due to their influence over the familys

purchases. 7esides mainly identifying and evaluating in more depth the triggersthat make children and tweens one of the most desired symbols in TBadvertising, further research should focus on identifying the ways in whichchildrens and tweens exposure to commercials featuring actors their own age is

influencing their behavior and development as consumers on the long termsalong with the reaction on the short term in terms of driving purchase for therespective product or service.

pradeep pandey

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