So, whats the best way to describe a tween? A tween is a female, usually between the ages of 9-14. The fancy word to describe a tween is "pre-adolescene": they're entering- and stuck- inbetween childhood and that awkward stage in life called adolescence. Or think of this saying: "too old for toys, but too young for boys". It's interesting to note how "tweens" have changed from my era, to the present day. In my my day (gosh I sound old!), I was into innocent fads such has the Tamagotchi, Yo-Yo's and I absolutely adored girl groups of the 90's such as The Spice Girls and All saints. Today the tween is obsessed with make-up, the latest fashion trends within their target group and older pop icons such as this girl....
Ah,Miley Cyrus. Famous for her alter ego, Hannah Montana, a fictional character who is an average teenage girl by day,and a mutli-million selling pop star by night. This phenomenon has been spectacular, and has spawned a multitude of movies, books, DVD's, children toys in it's wake. Love her or loathe her, it's been a nice little earner for Cyrus, making her an estimated $40 Million USD. It's also been predicted that Cyrus will be a billionaire by her early 20's! But is Cyrus really a good role model? Who can forget those racy pictures from 2008, that Annie Lebowitz photograph that had parents up in arms and that unforgettable performance at the kid's choice awards that saw a young Cyrus scantily clad and dancing on a pole? Perhaps not the best role model for children! But in reality, who cares? Certainly not the big corporation that bought Cyrus fame: Disney- Thanks to Cyrus and her Disney peers such as The High School Musical cast, they're rolling in it!
It's no secret that marketers favourite target market is the tween, this marketing tool has been used for years! I'm sure my age group will remember these two ladies...
This marketing tool hardly comes as a suprise: according to Soloman (2006), the tween market spent $14 billion on a multitude of items such as clothing, films/TV, CD's and other products aimed at the tween target market.
So why is the tween market a good market to target? Well, it's mainly down to the values of the tween market really- it's important for them to read the latest glossy magazines aimed at their market and to keep up with the latest fashion and social trends (it somewhat ties in with the importance of belonging within a peer group). It's also important to note that tweens usually have a close circuit of peers, more notably the females. Tweens often buy into products that make them seem appear more "cool" and seem more mature and older- Hence why idols are often a lot more older then the target audience.
Targeting to tweens often faces scruitny within modern society. Most people argue whether it is moral or not to target such "mature" products- even any products at all- to such a vunerable target market. Me personally, as someone who wants to seek a career in this field has to remain indifferent as well as open-minded. But who knows? My opinions may change once I have a brood of my own...
Here are a few interesting links to articles surrounding the subect matter I have been discussing!
XOXO
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