In my Critical Reading & Writing class (April 2011), we were required to make an 8-minute presentation based on our essay topic. Now instead of using PowerPoint or Flash, I decided to go in a new direction and try out this popular new presentation tool that one of my best friends was buzzing about called Prezi.
Presentation Summary:
Tweens today have more access to technology with the web and cell phones, compared to previous generations.
Pop culture has been on the rise in the last decade with many trends, attracting pre-teens/teens in film, TV, music, and video games. This gives companies an opportunity to massively produce products aimed towards the pre-teen/teen market. A recent report on 60 Minutes say that the pre-teen/teen market is valued at $335B.
The main target market for tweens is girls, mainly because they have more money and “they love to talk”, which makes them viable candidates for viral marketing. This has been proven by a marketing reserach company in Southern California called the Girls Intelligence Agency (G.I.A). The company theme is designed to emulate the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), but this company collects information on the buying and spending habits of tween girls (aged 8-13) for clients. Some of their clients includes Goody, Coca-Cola and Capitol Records to name a few.
The agency recruits tween girls to be their “Secret Agents”. They organize a slumber party, where the agent and her friends receive a box of never-before-seen products from the agency’s clients, and from there they test the products. The agency then records their input and reports it back to their clients, where they then know what products to improve on and market.
Marketers are aware that parents have the money and the buying power, but to get to them, they believe if they communicate directly to the children, pursuading them with their ads, the children can bug their parents enough to buy the products for them. Parents are concerned about this, and feel like they are losing a battle against marketers.
As mentioned earlier, teen pop culture has been on the rise in the last decade with TV shows, movies, music, video games. They’ve become edgier, darker and sometimes a bit racy. Although they are aimed for teens and college-aged youths, pre-teens are watching them too, which is a growing concern for parents, critics and censorship boards.
One show particular is the hit teen series, Gossip Girl. The show has faced a lot of criticism and scrutiny for being too racy for children, it is a huge hit for pre-teens/teens. It faced some controversy with their Season 2 ad campaign, with print, online and TV ads, depicting the show’s sexual imagery, combined with the negative criticsms of the show. The ads were really smart, not to mention a hit, as it gets people curious, who have never seen the show, to tune in.
Juliet B. Schor’s book Born to Buy, says that parents need to play a huge in their children’s lives, and should create rules and restrictions on the shows/movies they watch, the video games played, music listened and websites they browse. Schor also suggests that parents should spend more time with kids away from media – by participating in sports with them, board games, reading, and talking to them.
Thank You!