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Marketing to Tweens, Tomorrow’s Opportunity for Environmental and Social Improvement

THESIS – Senior Seminar

Thanais Telphon

12/11/11

Abstract

This paper is about the tweens market and how successful could it be to get them more involved with social issues and environmentalism through marketing. The paper first explores the tweens market, its characteristics, segmentation, and evolution. The paper then looks at ways marketers reach out to tweens today, its opportunity as a market, cases of good marketing campaigns, and the controversy behind tween marketing. Finally, the paper describes best practices and strategies used to market environmentally and socially responsible messages by analyzing data flowing directly from primary and secondary research. Such research may include books of researchers on the tween market, reports and articles from tween specialized companies and newspapers, a focus group with today’s tweens, and a qualitative interview with a professional working most directly in the field of tween marketing.

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Table of Content

The Tweens MarketDefining TweensHow the market evolvesGeneration X Y Z

Marketing to TweensWhy the tween market is a good opportunityWhat has been done? Walt Disney Studios and HollywoodTween Marketing and Social Media

Tweens marketing and its controversyAdvertising to tweensRegulations

How to market to tweens for the better good?Tweens’ concern for social and environmental issues

Strategy for a campaign: the proposal

Foreword

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« He is having his pre-adolescent crisis. » This is the explanation a mother of three children gave me when her ten year old son had an aggressive fit in front of me when I was trying to tutor him in French. Having been a child educator and counselor for four years, and an occasional babysitter and tutor for children age 6 to 14 years old, this was the first time I heard of the term pre-adolescent crisis. Actually, it was the first time I heard of the term pre-adolescent. From that day onwards, I have noticed an increasing change in the way parents view and talk about their pre-teens as if a new stage had appeared between childhood and adolescence. I had not found it particularly significant until I fell on an article in USA Today by Sharon Jason: “It’s Cooler than Ever to Be a Tween, but is Childhood Lost?” Tweens or pre-teens had become the new market opportunity for companies and with that comes controversy as tweens like children are being marketed products and content that is not deemed appropriate for them.

Introduction

The tween market appears to be a great opportunity for companies

and for the influence they have on other markets. Marketing to tweens, as

some companies such as Walt Disney have understood earlier on could

well become the most powerful market today. However, companies that

spot new markets are usually not the most ethically or environmentally

friendly. One may wonder if it would be possible to direct that energy and

potential towards better causes that will most directly affect the tween

generation in the future, such as environmental and social degradation.

In this paper, I will attempt to define this new target market, and what has

been done to market to them today. Then, I will explore the controversy

surrounding them and how tweens could be a great opportunity for

environmental and social change. Finally, I will try to suggest a green

platform and a way that platform could be marketed to tweens for the

better good.

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What is the Tween Market?

Although the tween market has always existed, it has become a

separate segment in itself only recently. Literally speaking, the word

“tween” found its roots in the word “between,” as tweens are said to be a

segment in between childhood and teenage-hood. According to the

Merriam-Webster dictionary, “preadolescence”, which is the scientific

synonym to tween, is “the period of human development just preceding

adolescence; specifically: the period between the approximate ages of 9

and 12.” It is paved by numerous changes both psychologically and

physically, and those changes usually do not occur concurrently.

According to Siegel, Coffey and Livingston in The Great Tween Buying

Machine, tweens can be defined between 8 and 12 years old, with a 2-year

increment difference between girls and boys as girls mature more rapidly.

However, it is hard to determine tweens according to an age group as

children of this age can vary greatly according to their experiences and

how fast they grow mentally. In effect, it would be more effective to

describe the tween segment according to a set of characteristics rather

than their age alone. Moreover, at that specific age children can vary a lot,

and require sub-segmentation as well. A suggested segmentation for now

would be two groups, those children age 8 to 10, and those ages 11 and

12. Needless to say, children age 8 to 10 are more likely to be a little more

towards childhood and interested in child-like activities, while children

ages 11 and 12 who are more likely to be closer to adolescents.

Looking at Jean Piaget’s four stages of development, tweens would

be placed between the 3rd and 4th stage. According to Piaget, the

development of intelligence is sequential and due to the increased

experiences children have in their environment. In the 1st and 2nd stages

that reflect children of age 0 to 2 (“Period of Sensory Motor Intelligence”)

and 2 to 7 (“Period of Preoperational Thought”), those children only work

by simple reflexes, do not have thoughts or understand symbolic images

yet, and go through egocentrism. Further stages however, are more

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interesting from a marketing perspective. Egocentrism means the

“inability to look at things from someone else’s point of view”, it is a phase

in which the child thinks he is always right.1 Moreover, in those two first

stages, children can only focus on one dimension of an object exclusive of

others, and do not understand the transformation process of what

happens between the beginning and the end of an action, and more

importantly for us, “do not understand cause-effect relationship”, and thus

would never be able to understand the idea that their actions could have

an effect on the environment.2 Consequently, marketing to these groups of

children for the better good would appear impossible because of their

psychological immaturity.

However, the two last stages of childhood: the 3rd being children age

7 to 11 years old (“Period of Concrete Operations”) and the 4th being

children 11 to 15 years old (“Period of formal Operations”) appear to have

much more potential. In the third stage, according to Piaget, children have

the “ability to apply logic to concrete problems, overcome logical thought-

process, and begin to look at the points of view of others as a way to

reaffirm their own.”3 Moreover, they understand the concept of “seriation –

ability to mentally order elements by size” and classification.4 But, they do

not yet understand and appreciate sarcasm, and abstraction. In a way,

they are like teens that are comfortable with themselves, very positive

and energized but “acutely interested in ranking, and being in

conformance with their peers.”5 The last stage (11 to 15 years old) can

deal with possibilities, abstraction and hypothesis. However, a new type of

egocentrism occurs as they start going through adolescence, making them

extremely self-conscious, and start to withdraw from their family and

authority. Thus, it is important to note that when marketing to tweens for

things that do not concern them on a personal level, one must be careful

1 David Siegel et al., The Great Tween Buying Machine (Ithaca, N.Y.: Paramount Marketing Pub., 2001), 12.2 Ibid.3 Ibid., 13.4 Ibid05 Ibid.

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not to market to them too late when they fall into their inner battle and

social and environmental problems become secondary.

Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, it is important to note the

difference between tween boys and tween girls. In effect, boys and girls

are completely different at this age. Not only do they mature at a different

pace, their identity aspirations are different as well. It has been found that

advertising to boys with ads that only feature girls is unattractive to them;

however, the opposite is not the case. Girls do not mind having advertising

targeted to them with only boys in it, as long as they deem it relevant to

their interest. According Jayson Sharon in USA Today: “Until now, Disney

has been "a tween-girl machine:” it may be that teen idols and celebrities

are more inherently appealing to girls because it's all about personality

and music and relational things that girls are more interested in. 6 Boys at

that age are more interested in “sports and adventure and are not as

easily marketed to by personalities and pop stars."7 Although one reason

for the focus on girl tweens might be their general interests, another might

also be their flexibility as opposed to boys. According to Rachel Chang,

editor-in-chief of tween magazine J-14, there is not arguable a tween boy

market, but only a tween girl market. An example of boy tween-targeted

show is Disney channel XD that has never been slightly as successful as its

sister The Disney Channel.

The tween market evolves fast

Another issue in defining the tween market is that it is constantly

evolving. Created by society, it would make sense that it moves, changes

and evolves with it. In effect, today and yesterday’s tweens are slightly

different. It may be easier to classify the older tweens (age 11 and 12) as

part of Generation Y, and the younger tweens as part of Generation Z

(most recent generation, also called Generation C for Content or

6 Sharon Jayson, USA Today, “It’s Cooler than Ever to Be a Tween, but is Childhood Lost?” USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-03-tweens-behavior_N.htm (accessed October 18th 2011)7 Ibid.

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Generation M for Media). We will first look at tweens from the new

generation Z, and the main societal changes that might have influenced

their evolution since what makes today’s tweens different are their

experiences.

First, tweens now come from families that are more fluid and

fractured with step sisters and brothers, single mothers or parents who

are never home. According to The Great Tween Buying Machine, today’s

tweens are more likely to have at-home moms, as parents try to focus on

their children’s education since they were themselves left alone too much

as children. As confirmed by editor of J-14 Rachel Chang, yesterday’s

tweens were more independent than they are today, and would be left to

do things themselves. However, the most recent tween generation has

parents that are much more involved and want to participate in their

children’s lives and activities.

Also, schools today teach more to tweens than they ever did in

the United States before. Standardized teaching material had recently

been created and set up for a uniform education that is meant to be as

objective and informative as possible, as we live today in times of relative

peace between countries. Moreover, technology such as increased

Internet access, social media, laptops, iphone and more is possibly one of

the biggest factors that influenced tweens, shaping them into who they

are today. Combined with school material, tweens “have greater

knowledge of the importance of ecology.”8 As GenXers saw the results of

poor ecological planning among their predecessors, they will teach,

through example to their children that recycling is good.

New economic realities are also one of the big societal factors

that have changed tweens’ state of mind. Seeing their parents being fired

because of layoffs, having lived during continuous recessions, stock

market crashes, and diverse protests against banks, policies, presidents,

and political parties have shaped them. The concept that heroes are

fragile, and that nobody is perfect, whether it is their parents, the

8 David Siegel et al., The Great Tween Buying Machine (Ithaca, N.Y.: Paramount Marketing Pub., 2001), 18.

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president or their peers, is a fairly new one. Anyone can become a

celebrity today, such as Justin Bieber who started by simply putting videos

on YouTube, and could disappear as fast as he appeared onto the idol

scene. Moreover, young GenYers and older GenZers are the generation

that has been born right after events such as September 11, increase in

threats and violence and global peace.

Tweens have been born in a society where there are logos on

everything. Combined with the increased access of information through

the Internet, this overflow of logos and advertising has made them more

acute consumers than ever before. Finally, the concept that cultural

diversity is good is a fairly new idea that they have been immersed into.

All of those societal factors affected tweens as consumers and

people. It made them “control-freaks” in the sense that they want to be

able to personalize everything. One response by marketers was mass-

customization. According to the Great Tween Buying Machine it also made

them “Good Citizens of the World.”9 Tweens want to contribute to

improving the world, whether it is poverty, pollution or their own

neighborhood. They also feel a sense of patriotism and national sympathy

as transferred from their parents. And finally, of course it made them

savvy consumers.

Allison Pugh in Longing and Belonging: Parents, Children,

and Consumer Culture offers an understanding of the conflict between

generations: parents and their tween children. The book describes the

intricate relationship between parents and children who grew up in

cultures that differ greatly. In effect, according to Allison Pugh, this

generation of tweens is growing with parents that are over-controlling and

loving, but also have a very distant physical presence as they work longer

and longer hours. In effect, in contrast to what is argued by The Great

Tween Buying Machine, even though this generation’s parents would love

to have at least one of the parents living at home and taking care of the

tween’s education, with today’s economic hardships that desire becomes

9 Ibid.

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difficult to accomplish. In effect, nowadays with the decrease in the

average purchasing power of families, both parents need to work, not less

but more.

Thus, it is important to look not only at the tweens but also their

parents, older brothers and sisters (Generation X and Y) who possess the

money used by tweens, and so their consent is needed in all tween

decisions.

Although generations vary according to resources, for the purpose of

this paper we will define Generation X as people born between 1960 and

1979, they are usually the parents and grandparents of tweens. We shall

also determine Generation Y as people born between 1980 and 1999; and

Generation X as people born between 2000 and today.

Generation Y

Generation Y are people born between 1980 and 1999, thus ranging

from people that are 11 to 31 years old and enclosing the older tween

segment. They have over-taken the Baby Boomers/Generation X: their

parents or grandparents. Also, according to Gen Buy, not “only are [young]

Gen Yers big spenders themselves ($200 billion a year worldwide) but they

hold great sway over what their parents buy.”10 They are the most

powerful trendsetters, and consider retailers as services to them, and not

the other way around. They are diverse, adaptive and confident. “Less

than 2/3rd are white, 25% were raised in single parent households and 3/4th

have working moms.”11 According to Yarrow and Odonnell, there are

around 84 million Gen Yers today.

There are two main great influences to Generation Y. The first is

“Adoring Parents.” In effect, with the improvement in medical technology

and exploding interest in child development and psychology in the time

10 Kit Jarrow & Jayne O’Donnell, Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionizing Retail(Jossey-Bass, CA: San Fransisco, 2009), 12.11 Ibid., 15.

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they were born, they were the most wanted children in history. Moreover,

technology brought children and parents arguably closer with cell phones

increasing communication and frequent contact. Households are child-

centered, explaining the confidence as well as the power GenYers have on

their parents.

The second greatest influence to Generation Y is of course the

Digital World. As GenZers, the digital age had already started for older

tweens. Tweens are empowered by providing “in-house tech support” as

they know better about technology than their parents. They have never

experienced a world without computers, the Internet, cell phones, or

digital cameras. Technology has given them more access to information,

more freedom, more power and made them “full of playfulness” and

hopeful for the future. In effect, according to a survey done on 6,000

GenYers of 8 to 14 years old, tweens are regularly given online chores that

may vary from “sharing pictures (38%), to getting driving directions

(35%), to even helping with tax returns (14%).”12 This last one is quite

surprising, but it makes sense as more and more governmental and legal

documents now have to be filled online. What this means for tweens is

that a couple of characteristics have been added to their profile. Among

others, they are faster at processing information, they are great multi-

taskers, they require instant answers, available friends, and connection to

others regardless of geography, no hierarchy as the online world is

faceless, less necessity for face-to-face interaction and free access to

information. This also means that they demand immediate gratification,

can get easily bored and will not be interested in things that are too static.

All of these can be distinguished into 4 characteristics: confidence,

connection, choice and speed.

In effect, doting parents and the digital world has given them power

beyond limits, and made them extremely optimistic and confident in their

abilities. They have been told that they are “special” by their parents,

teachers, and advertisers. Their self-esteem is incredibly high for their

12 Kit Jarrow & Jayne O’Donnell, Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionizing Retail(Jossey-Bass, CA: San Fransisco, 2009),

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age, which has lessened competition among GenYers. Instead, they have

become team-players who have been trained in school to work in teams,

and are likely to unite with like-minded people around the world “to

champion causes, play computer games, and stay in touch indefinitely

through social networking.”13 “Tweens believe in the power of their own

opinion and their ability to make social change.”14

Connection is the second most important characteristic of

generation Y. In addition to being team-oriented, through technology,

tween form “new families around their own interests and workplace.”15

Because of their less competitive nature, since they were born in a culture

where everyone is a winner, their tolerance and celebration of differences

and their comfort with diversity is striking.

The GenY tweens are also seen as the “most educated, affluent,

diverse population” that has been told that “they can do anything.”16 As a

consequence, they seek perfection in their choices, in their jobs and in

their lives, and with the increasingly wide variety of choices; it ends up

making them indecisive and overwhelmed. In effect, according to Gen Buy,

today’s tween will have 11 to 14 jobs by the age of 38 years old. Because

of that, tweens constantly look for direction from websites and peers.

The final characteristic of tween is Speed. As described previously,

instant information access and processing has made tweens likely to be

easily bored. According to the 2009 Aberdeen Group report, an additional

delay of 1 second on a website or social media platform can lower page

views of a website by 11% and customer satisfaction by 16%. However,

speed also means that tweens are extremely efficient at processing visual

information fast and concisely.

Overall, by combining both characteristics from tweens of Generation Z

and tweens of Generation Y, one may describe the tween market as

13 Ibid.14 Ibid.15 Kit Jarrow & Jayne O’Donnell, Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionizing Retail(Jossey-Bass, CA: San Fransisco, 2009), 16 Ibid.,

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community-based, fast-pace, confident, positive, powerful, most

connected, technology-driven, concerned by social changes, having the

intellectual capacity to understand almost as much as teenagers without

the egocentrism dominating their thoughts, doting parents, bad economic

and political realities, born in atypical families, and have more choices and

influence than ever before.

How to Market to Tweens?

More and more research is being conducted on the tween market,

which is seen as the new marketing opportunity. One may want to look at

the basics of what constitutes a great market segment to target. There are

three basic characteristics to a good market segment: it has to be large

enough, have significant purchasing power, unique needs, and be

relatively easy to reach.

According to Daniel Acuff, David Bonner, Jim Gilmartin, and Dave

Siegel in Market Smart: The Best in Age and Lifestyle Specific Design,

tweens are the most diverse group of people and account for “20.9 million

tweens in the US alone.”17 Thus, the market is most certainly big enough.

As discussed earlier it also has very unique needs as it is a specific

segment created by society. Tweens are also relatively easy to reach as

they can be targeted through almost all Medias: prints with now existing

specialized tween magazines, TV ads, and social media.

Now the purchasing power of tweens is dual. It includes pocket

money, but also and maybe more importantly the influence they have on

what their parents purchase for them and with them. According to the

Great Tween Buying Machine, tweens have around $260 billion annually in

spending power, which is more than significant. Research found that

tweens spend approximately $10 billion annually on their own […] and an

additional $176 billion is spent on them by their parents, and $75 billion”

17 Daniel Acuff et al., Market Smart: The Best in Age and Lifestyle Specific Design (NY: Harper Collins Design, 2009),

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more because of their increased influence on family vacations, restaurant

visits etc.18

We should be bothering about the tween market because they are in

the stage in which branding “begins to take effect.”19 But more and

probably most importantly, it is the segment that has “the most significant

influence, especially on household and family purchases” today.20

It is also the stage when friendship is extremely important. As

tweens because teens, they move away tentatively from their family circle

and towards new circles that share their interests: known as the friendship

circles. They are three stages of friendship according to age. The first is

the friendship stage of 5 to 7 year olds that view friends as a “handy

playmate.”21 At that stage, friendships do not last. The second stage is for

children 8 to 10 year old, which calls for “mutual trust and assistance.”22 In

this stage, which could be considered the young tween stage, tweens seek

friends that will help them and fortify their beliefs. The third stage is for

children age 11 to 15. Friendship is then about “intimacy and mutual

understanding.”23 Tweens staggering between the second and third stage

have a lot of friends, some may be very significant, while others are called

“school friends” or “club friends.” Since friends are very important to

tweens they are always reaffirming their beliefs with them and getting

influenced by them as much as they are influencing them. In a society

where racial and economical diversity is celebrated, groups form around

new interests and constantly aspire to fit somewhere.

What has been done?

Disney is a good example of a company that has successfully

targeted tweens. They were also one of the first companies to notice the

potential of the tween market. They have successfully moved away from

18 David Siegel et al., The Great Tween Buying Machine (Ithaca, N.Y.: Paramount Marketing Pub., 2001), 30.19 David Siegel et al., The Great Tween Buying Machine (Ithaca, N.Y.: Paramount Marketing Pub., 2001), 30.20 Ibid.21 Ibid., 12.22 Ibid.23 Ibid.

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family-oriented movies and other entertainment towards tween-oriented

shows. Two great examples are Hannah Montana/Miley Cirus, and High

School Musical. According to Valerie Wee in Teen Media: Hollywood and

the Youth Market in the Digital Age the term tween was first “coined in the

clothing industry,” and it is in 2006 that Disney emerged and eventually

overridden “over the millennial tween market.”24

In 2006, the tween targeted movie High School Musical attracted 7.7

million tweens, and its sequel High School Musical 2, 17.2 million. Hannah

Montana had the same success. The series’ soundtrack was downloaded

daily, and the movie that came out of it Miley Cyrus featuring the same

actress gained $31 million in the first week.

Of course, there are some challenges to marketing only to tweens

that Disney had to overcome. One was to stay “clear of any controversial

content or activities that could taint the public credibility” by carefully

managing the social, moral and ethical concerns shared by parents and

legislators.25 Indeed, whether marketers have recognized tweens as a new

market, to the general public tweens are still children that need to be

protected from advertising and marketing.

Also, tween is the age at which children’s tastes and habits mature

“at an accelerated pace” as mentioned earlier, and younger tweens prefer

entertainment featuring characters and situations association while older

audiences are more interested in “aspiration.” 26

One important trick used by Disney was to extend their movie across

multi-media platforms. Actors blended with singers, and their fictional and

real lives became almost impossible to dissociate. For example, Hannah

Montana was a character with two faces: one as a singer and the other as

a normal high school girl. However, the character became reality when

24 Valerie Wee, Teen Media: Hollywood and the Youth Market in the Digital Age (McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2010), 5.

25 Valerie Wee, Teen Media: Hollywood and the Youth Market in the Digital Age (McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2010), 22.26 Ibid.

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Disney sponsored the actress to a live music tour around the United States

making her a real singer from the fictional character. Being multi-taskers

and multi-media oriented, tweens were extensively attracted to the

concept.

Another insight from Disney is that the movies had to create content

that was “specifically directed and reflect the dominant concerns of

tweens including school, friends, ethical choices, how to navigate the

pitfalls of adolescence, peer pressure, rivalries, struggle with commitment,

loyalties of friends and parents. Indeed, even though the movies were

targeted to tweens, they actually reflected concerns of teens that tweens

aspire to become.”27 Messages often focus on the importance of

friendship, loyalty, and honesty, and most of all “to follow one’s dreams.”28

However, even though teenage concerns are portrayed, the content

must stay “highly sanitized and innocent in its representations.”29 For

example, conflicts are quickly dealt with “no violence”, romance stays

“chaste, stripped of any sexual element.”30 While there is little interest,

maintaining “visual or spatial continuity, a character typical of music video

aesthetic,” there is a need to maintain the atmospheric and emotional

coherence fit to tweens’ psychological level of understanding.31

According to Valerie Wee, the success of Disney in targeting tweens

is also due in large by their ability to “synergistically repurpose a single

concept across increasingly broad range of media platforms, tapping in

stereotypical concerns of tweens mindset, while earning trust of parents

and social institutions.”32

In other words, Walt Disney was successful in targeting the tween

market because of several strategies. The first is their great understanding

of the personal concerns of tweens. The second is their understanding of

27 Ibid., 35.28 Ibid.29 Ibid., 40.30 Ibid.31 Valerie Wee, Teen Media: Hollywood and the Youth Market in the Digital Age (McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2010), 32 Ibid.

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the evolution of the tween market in relation to social media and that

marketers must create multi-media messages and platforms if they want

to get tweens involved. The last strategy their understanding that parents

must be taken into consideration as they will be the ones to allow their

tweens to watch these messages or utilize those platforms.

Tweens and social media

More than technology in general, social media has not only

influenced today’s tweens, it has shaped them. Social media is a platform

that is crucial to tweens, and must not be overlooked. As Valerie Wee

states “the latest cross-media collaboration also represents the extent to

which medium specificities, stylistic distinctions, platform differences and

textual boundaries have collapsed: there has been an intensification of

pose modern hyperintertexual tendencies.”33

In effect, social media had created the final bridge between the

different media platforms. Internet and mobile technologies are not

passive, and a shift has been made from TV to new digital platforms such

as streaming and online gaming. With the low barriers of entry such as

video-distribution sites like YouTube and iTunes, tweens have the

opportunity to create, and distribute content themselves. Tweens are

more involve and participate in the content creation of almost everything

today.

33 Ibid.

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fig.1 Frank Pompa, Graph, 2009, USA Today.

Gen Buy emphasizes how “there is no social, sex, or racial grouping

anymore” and so, tweens have a feeling of belonging when they buy.34 We

now live in such an individualistic and web-based society that “only half of

Americans today say that they have a friend besides their spouse, to

confide in and rely on for support: one fourth of Americans say they don’t

have anybody to confide in.”35 The consequence is that tweens rely

increasingly on social networks and the Internet to seek for groups to join

and fit in.

Social media also means an increasing emphasis on appearance.

“The fashion faux pas squabbles, and embarrassing moments that all

teens have” can now live forever, and be shared with anyone through

technology like Facebook or Twitter.36 Consequently, tweens are

increasingly self-conscious about their image and about fitting with others

and not make any mistake. While social media have influenced everyone

to change their behaviors, tween were born with social media and have

not known a life without it, which shaped them as people and their value

of appearance and actions.

34 Kit Jarrow & Jayne O’Donnell, Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionizing Retail(Jossey-Bass, CA: San Fransisco, 2009), 35 Kit Jarrow & Jayne O’Donnell, Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionizing Retail(Jossey-Bass, CA: San Fransisco, 2009), 36 Ibid.

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Tween marketing and its controversy

Marketing to tweens, similarly to marketing to children would

automatically bring some controversy for its content and for the targeting

itself. An article featured in Bloomberg Business week:”Alcohol, Then

Tobacco. Now Fast-food?” written by Douglas MacMillan explains the

issues related to tweens and obesity. Consumer advocates are trying to

pass laws and regulations on marketing fast-food to children. This article

looks at the negative effects of unhealthy content advertising to tweens,

such as fast-food chains, and alcohol. The article describes some steps

taken towards regulating advertising by fast food restaurants. 15 food and

beverage companies have agreed “to focus greater advertising resources

on healthy foods, part of an initiative spearheaded in 2006 by the Council

of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB).”37 Some critics said that these

initiatives do not go far enough, saying that it does not avoid fast food

companies from marketing to adults. However, regulating anymore would

probably be a breach of the constitution and freedom of speech.

fig.2 www.abercrombie.com.

Other companies target tweens and teens with bad representations

of what is “cool” such as Abercrombie and Fitch that has been criticized

for its highly sexualized and provocative advertising that features “images

37 Douglas MacMillan, ”Alcohol, Then Tobacco. Now Fast-food?” Bloomberg Businessweek,

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db20090630_606062.htm (accessed October 18th, 2011)

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of impossibly thin, fit, beautiful and highly sexualized young people.”38

Some even argue that tobacco and alcohol industry target 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.”39

Finally, an article from Media Awareness Network argues that

“tweens (ages 8-12) are continually bombarded with limiting media

stereotypes on what it is to be a girl or a boy in today’s world.”40 For

tweens that are debatably at a sensitive age where they are seeking an

identity look at these ads as what it really means to be a girl or a boy and

follow the stereotypical images such as that of the ‘tough guy’ or the

‘mini-fashionistas.’

Regulations

“Such new media as social networking and video-sharing sites on

the Web fall outside the definitions maintained by the CBBB” (Council of

Better Business Bureau) that is the main service that protects children

from inappropriate advertisers.41 Although regulations are primarily

focused on television advertising, the Federal Trade Commission has

started to come up with rules regarding online marketing as well. Being

aware of these different rules is crucial to understanding ways in which it

is possible to market to children today.

It is important to understand that Children’s Online Privacy

Protection Rules is only focused on children under 13. In that case, the 13-

targeted website must have a way to ask for parental consent. “The

primary goal of COPPA and the Rule is to place parents in control over

38 “Marketing and Consumerism, special Issue for tweens and teens.” Media Awareness Network,http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/issues_teens_marketing.cfm (accessed October 18th, 2011)39 Ibid.40 Ibid.41 Ibid.

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what information is collected from their young children online.”42

Nevertheless, it is actually difficult to see how effective these rules are for

two reasons.

The first reason is that children under the age of 13 may agree to

the parental consent notice on behalf of their parents, especially tweens

whom we have seen have the mental capabilities to do so.

The second reason is that it is hard to know which websites tweens

will access, and what content may or may not be appropriate for tweens.

In effect, “such new media as social networking and video-sharing sites on

the Web fall outside the definitions maintained by the CBBB.43 One

promotion Wendy's created for Father's Day asked kids to create e-cards

for their dads, featuring a Frosty, the chain's popular ice cream snack.”44 It

is impossible with the easy access to the Internet, and the decreasing

parent supervision on computers to monitor all the websites tweens

decide to visit. Even if all tween targeted website were to be regulated,

there is no guarantee that those same tweens will not access and have

exposure teen or adult-targeted websites and advertising as well.

Thus, the question is not about the controversy of advertising to

tweens, but what is advertised to them.

How to market to tweens for the better good?

Before understanding how to market to tweens for the better good, one

must first look at whether there is a need for those types of contents or

42 “Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.” The Federal Trade Commission, Protecting America’s Consumer,

http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/coppafaqs.shtm (accessed October 25th, 2011)43 Sharon Jayson, USA Today, “It’s Cooler than Ever to Be a Tween, but is Childhood Lost?” USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-03-tweens-behavior_N.htm (accessed October 18th 2011)44 Ibid.

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not. After all, as many marketers probably would argue, tweens are being

marketed superficial things or unhealthy products because this may be

what they want and what they are interested in. Most certainly, that would

be the take of Abercrombie & Fitch or Victoria Secret, who advertise near-

naked or extremely thin models.

Are tweens concerned for the environment?

iTwixie is a market research company specialized in the tween

market. Based on their extensive database and resources, the company

explores different questions about this particular market that companies

might be interested in pursuing. One of the most recent research reports

they did was conveniently on the concern of tween girls for the

environment, and their potential desire to get more involved in the

movement. On one hand, one may notice that iTwixie is probably

responding to an increasing demand by companies on that subject. On the

other hand, it reveals that to some extent tweens as an ‘opportunity for

social and environmental change’ may be on companies’ minds.

According to this report from Going Green research, volume 1, issue

2 published in April 2011, “tween girls care deeply about our planet.”45

Indeed, apparently tweens and especially tween girls are a lot more

involved in green projects than one might first believe. “To tweens it’s a

wonderful challenge to come up with ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle,

because it is in their power to act on these ideas at home and at school.”46

If given the right tools, tweens are eager to get involved in these issues.

45 TweenTrends. “Trending Girls are Green.” Going Green Research, vol. 1, issue 2 (April 2011)

http://tweentrends.itwixie.com/

46 Ibid.

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fig.3 iTwixie, TweenTrends. “Trending Girls are Green.” Going

Green Research, vol. 1, issue 2 (April 2011)

One reason for that eagerness is that these issues are approachable

to tweens. It is not the thing that worries them the most: according to this

Green Research report only 14 percent of tweens said their main worry is

about ‘the environment, world peace and their future.’ Tweens appear to

be more worried by issues related to their direct personal life such as what

their friends think of them and how well they are doing at school.

However, it is for that very reason that tweens are happy to get involved

with issues related to the environment. Those worries are still on their

minds, but not important and heavy enough for them to be scared of

getting involved. Environmental and social actions are some of the global

issues “tween girls between ages 8 and 14, can feel comfortable

discussing and getting involved in making a difference.”47 Among the three

things iTwixie tween girls want to do in the future is “do [their] best to

change the world.”48

According to a recent Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Staples

Foundation for Learning (SFFL) survey “of more than 1,200 youths, ages 11-13,

92 percent of tweens said they are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned”

about the environment.”49 Indeed, according to one of the judges of “Be Great,

Be Green” award, “when youth are educated about environmental issues, they

become involved in their communities and are able to make big changes.”50

47 TweenTrends. “Trending Girls are Green.” Going Green Research, vol. 1, issue 2 (April 2011)

http://tweentrends.itwixie.com/48 Ibid.49 Sharon Jayson, USA Today, “It’s Cooler than Ever to Be a Tween, but is Childhood Lost?” USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-03-tweens-behavior_N.htm (accessed October 18th 2011)

23

It is important moreover, to make a distinction between tween girls

and tween boys’ concern for the environment. While conducting a focus

group and handing out questionnaires to seven older tweens (4 girls and 3

boys), ages 11 to 12 years old; one of the main insights that came out was

that tween boy respondents felt less concerned by environmental issues

than tween girl respondents. If given the opportunity to discuss about

these issues via a social media platform, all tween girls were eager to try,

while boys felt less directly concerned and did not think they would have

the time to do so. Also, two out of three tween boys did not feel like they

had heard about problems related to the environment, while tween girls

mentioned school, TV, or magazines. Tween boys felt “a little” concerned

about these problems, while tween girls mentioned that they felt very

concerned and that “almost each person pollutes the earth” and even if

they do not pollute the earth themselves they “want to change the world.”

However, it is impossible to generalize the distinction between girls

and boys of tween age when it come to environmental concern. Although

boys did not feel as concerned by social and environmental degradation,

when asked if, given the opportunity, they would participate in changing

and solving these problems, two of the tween boys said yes, for “their

generation and the one after them,” and one said “maybe.” Moreover,

when asked: “if a website was created for you and your peers where you

could talk about these issues with other people like you, and discuss how

you could improve the planet’s condition, would you use it? How much?

Why not?”; six out of seven of the focus group tweens said they would,

and at least once a week if not more. Two also said they would spread the

word and make it known by as many people as they can.

Furthermore, it was interesting to notice that when required to list

the five things that worry them the most today, almost all of the focus

group tweens mentioned the “end of the world”, or “2012.” Such a pattern

shows that tweens’ worries have elevated to that of adults’ via subjects

50 Sharon Jayson, USA Today, “It’s Cooler than Ever to Be a Tween, but is Childhood Lost?” USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-03-tweens-behavior_N.htm (accessed October 18th 2011)

24

raised potentially with their older sisters, brothers and parents. Utilizing

tweens’ concerns might have great potential in attracting them and

encouraging them to take action. It is of course not about scaring them,

but about giving them a platform and the tools necessary to fight against

what they are concerned about.

fig.4 Waldoks, Ehud Zion. « Tweens use ‘virtual home’ to learn environment-protection.” 2011, www.jpost.com.

The growing concern of tweens for the environment has recently

been answered by a few new businesses, one of which is called Eco

Campus, a virtual, web-based world where tweens can create a virtual life

and continue to expand their knowledge on environmental issues at the

same time. According to an article in the Jerusalem Post, “Tweens use

‘virtual home’ to learn environment-protection” published in January 2011,

this educational/online gaming platform has been targeted towards Jewish

schools to educate them on green messages. The website is to teach

children age 8 to 15 years old, the importance of environmental values.

This platform is a good example of the increasing interest in catering to

tweens about subjects that go beyond mere consumerism: environment

and social responsibility.

Furthermore, tween-targeted companies have undertaken some

green campaigns in the past few years. Speaking with the editor in chief of

J-14, Nickelodeon (a children and tween television channel), Bravo!

Magazine and Disney Channel were brought up. Nickelodeon, among

others has done a campaign where they would give out tote bags with

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quotes about social responsibility. Bravo! Magazine, the German sister of J-

14’s most successful campaign was “Bravo Goes Green,” and finally

Disney Channel came up with a contest where tweens could get their

favorite stars to come to their schools and plant a tree.

However, those types of businesses and campaigns are very rare

and very few of them exist today. Most companies have been conducting

green campaigns as part of their businesses, but marketers to tween have

toned down on these campaigns and messages several years ago. Thus,

understanding the best strategy to market environmentally and socially

responsible messages to tween is still a question in the waiting.

What strategy should we undertake for a marketing campaign promoting socially and environmentally effective messages?

Conducting an interview with editor-in-chief of J-14 magazine Rachel

Chang, some of the main things that were brought to light were the best

strategies to reach out to tweens. Among others was mentioned the

importance of social media, stars, and the ‘coolness factor’. Relying

on previous extensive research as well as Rachel Chang’s insight, we shall

recommend the best strategy for marketing for the better good.

J-14 is a magazine targeted and read by children ages 10 to 16 and

sometimes even younger. Rachel Chang started working at WD, when

tweens was not really a market yet. She used to watch a lot of Disney

Channel at the time, and one day WD, who was never interested in the

tween market before asked her to get them Lizzie McGuire, one of the

main actors of Disney Channel that had become increasingly popular.

However, according to her, what really triggered the apparition of the

tween market and made it more mainstream was probably High School

Musical. At that time, marketers did not know in which direction to go, and

“did not want to admit that the market [of interest, mainly teens and 20-

something] was getting younger.”

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Objectives and Benefits of marketing socially and environmentally

responsible messages

Tweens have become the new market opportunity. Nowadays it may

even be called oversaturated. Marketing messages, advertising and stars

have “become impeded into [tweens’] interests.”

Through this paper, we have proven the need and interest of tweens for

environmental and social activism, as well as their potential as a market.

Marketing tweens for the better good would not only be an opportunity to

educate the future generations that will be most directly affected by the

changes occurring on the planet and see firsthand the consequences of

today’s environmental and social concerns, but they will also be able to

influence their parents and parents’ decisions, as mentioned earlier in this

paper.

Strategy

It is important to emphasize again that tweens’ parents are as

important as tweens themselves and must always be taken into

consideration when targeting tweens. During the interview, Rachel Chang

reflected on the popularity of star Selena Gomez. This specific star has

nothing special; however tweens are interested in her because she

appears very ‘normal’ and thus very approachable. Tweens actually look

up to her and feel like they can be like her. Moreover, Rachel states that

there is also a safe factor involved. Selena Gomez may also appeal to the

parents of tweens because of her very clean and proper image making the

parents of the tween more likely to agree to let them watch movies or buy

magazines in which she is displayed.

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Consequently, to market messages successfully there is a need to

make sure that these messages are appealing to the tween but also

seems proper to the parents. According to The Great Tween Buying

Machine, “it is better to advertise products directly to the tweens instead

of, or at the very least, in addition to, their parents,” but the parents must

always stay on one’s mind as they are the ones to make the final decision

and the purchase in the end.51

Another strategy direction in marketing to tween is the ‘coolness’

or ‘star factor.’ Stars like Selena Gomez who are approachable and to

whom tweens look up to since they are slightly older than them can be

great message endorsements. According to Rachel Chang, some

photographers are hired to follow stars around and take pictures of them

throwing recyclable products in recycling bins. While Disney was able to

create their own stars, using an existing popular star to market

environmental and social responsibility would encourage tweens to act the

same.

Following that thought, even though schools may be a good platform

to market messages, linking those messages with education may hinder

the coolness of the message and associate the marketing campaign with

homework instead of fun. For messages that are very heavy, such a

source may not be the best solution.

Moreover, it is important to segment the tween market. To market

‘green messages’, we may want to focus on the older tweens, ages 10 to

12 years old who are learning about environmental issues at school, and

may be more exposed to world news. Segmentation must also be created

between boys and girls. According to previous research, it became

apparent that there is a clear difference between tween girls and tween

boys. It is even argued that there isn’t really a boy tween market. Thus,

marketing campaigns that call for action needs should be targeted

51 David Siegel et al., The Great Tween Buying Machine (Ithaca, N.Y.: Paramount Marketing Pub., 2001), 125.

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primarily towards girls. Rachel Wang confirms the small potential of boy

tween marketing mentioning that a boy J-14 magazine had been launched

in the past, and was given up after two issues for its lack of success. Justin

Bieber is also a great example of girl marketing. Even though the star is a

boy, a Justin Bieber girl fragrance and nail polish were created and had

incredible success with tween girls.

The best platforms to market tweens are increasingly social media

platforms. Rachel described a meeting she had with a business owner who

has just started a virtual portal that looks like Facebook but works like

Second Life, with avatars instead of pictures, and the possibility to get on

forums to discuss areas of interest with other tweens. According to the

owner, the average user was a 12 years old girl who spent 65 minutes on

the site. The tween girl had started her own businesses on the platform,

and made fake profit daily. Such an example shows the potential of

tweens’ social media platforms and tweens’ abilities when it comes to the

Internet.

As a consequence, using social media as the main tool to market to

tweens is the best strategy. However, as seen in the Walt Disney case,

tweens use more media than they ever have before, and because they are

great multi-taskers it is necessary to look at the other media platforms as

well. It is important to note that tweens use more than one media at once.

The most used media platform by tweens while being on the computer is

the television. According to The Great Tween Buying Machine, television is

still by far “the king of media vehicles for reaching this market.”52 Print

media cannot be underestimated either. “Tweens spend an average of 17

minutes on each magazine.”53 However, as confirmed by Rachel Chang,

magazine prints is mainly able to survive because of the physical posters

offered in the print that tweens enjoy hanging on their walls and cannot

acquire through digital media.

52 David Siegel et al., The Great Tween Buying Machine (Ithaca, N.Y.: Paramount Marketing Pub., 2001), 132.53 Ibid.

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If a main channel had to be chosen, social media is the one with the

most future potential growth. The radio will most likely disappear in a

couple of years as parents are less likely to purchase new radios today.

Print will also disappear slowly with the creation of portable magazines

through tools such as the I pad. Even television is being replaced

progressively by computers where tweens can actually choose what they

want to watch and when through live streaming.

It is clear that marketing the green has been identified as outdated

and was big with marketers 3-5 years ago. According to the editor of J-14,

marketers may have stopped marketing those messages because they

decided it was not ‘in’ anymore, and so the tweens and parents stopped

talking about it forming a vicious circle of forgetfulness. Thus, it seems like

the perfect time to start marketing right now to tweens a message that

has not been over-marketed to them yet, and will appear relatively new

and exciting. This is an especially good time as we are nearing the end of

2011 and the beginning of 2012, a year of great interests for tweens as

discussed previously.

The message or platform that will promote environmental and social

activism will need to be also more focused on the fun aspect, than the

educational one. It is important to note that while tweens “use computers

for a variety of tasks, the number one reason is playing games.”54 This

means that tweens use social media and the Internet mainly for

entertainment, and as such, messages directed to tweens will have to

appeal to the ‘fun’ aspect of getting involved with these issues such as

games, competitions, team projects. The platform and message will also

have to encouraging the tweens and giving them the freedom to shape

the direction and course of action of the portal themselves.

Finally, tweens is a market that has just started to understand the

concept of humor and sarcasm. Messages can then play on the double-

54 David Siegel et al., The Great Tween Buying Machine (Ithaca, N.Y.: Paramount Marketing Pub., 2001), 138.

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meaning that could relate the environment to tweens’ own personal

concerns. One such concern is ‘bullying” that is very big with tween

markets and magazines today, as reaffirmed by Rachel Chang.

Conclusion/Personal Reflections

We have seen through this paper that the tween market has

emerged both because of marketers’ desire to over-segment, and because

of social changes. Society’s evolution has created children that are

becoming more savvy consumers than their parents. Because of their

great power in themselves, but also by their influence on parents and

society in general, tweens are already a great opportunity for socially and

environmentally-directed messages. I have suggested the best ways to

market these messages for the better good to tweens today while

breaking through an oversaturated information culture, by relying on the

work and experience of prior researchers, interviewing an editor working

directly in the tween market today, and conducing a focus group with

tweens.

Nevertheless, I believe the tween market to be extremely versatile.

It evolves as times evolve, and seeing how fast society changes today it

would come with no surprise that in a few years or even a few months the

tween market will have changed once more. Consequently, there will a

need to constantly update research on the tween market and its current

areas of interests to stay in line with its needs and desires. I also believe

there to be a cycle to generations’ evolution and we might experience a

reverse trend in this market in later years: instead moving forward and

embracing new technologies, tweens would go back to older media

formats such as books and letters.

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