The "Tween" Market
[1] 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
[5] 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.
[10] 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 insecurities and self-doubts of teens by making them believe that to be truly
[15] 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
[20] 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."
(www.media-awareness.ca, 4-10-10 – with adaptations)
*chasing = perseguindo
Tomando como base o texto, sobre o comportamento do comércio, pode-se afirmar que,
