Media Awareness Network posted special marketing and advertising issues on tweens and teens,http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/issues_teens_marketing.cfm Why are they so important and who are they? Tweens and teens are a group who are between childhood and adulthood. They are becoming the fastest rising consumers in America. With this knowledge, corporations are seizing the opportunity to increase their profit margin by targeting advertisements to these age groups, but to what cost to the tweens and teens. Are the marketing strategies used harmful or helpful to their development?
Fashion had become the embodiment of people’s social origins, their perception of where they fit into the middle class, and an expression of who they want to become. (Blaszezyk, pg. 230) It is unfortunate that youths’ self esteem are shaped by the mass media. The article states “the underlying marketing message is that there is a link between physical beauty and sex appeal – and popularity, success, and happiness. Media is creating massive insecurities in youths because they do not measure up to the “exploitive media images”.
When I served as a youth counselor, each week the youths would be dressed in “name brand labels”. Each clique would be dressed alike. Youths are finding their identity, not in themselves, but in each other, - collective identity. In the summer months, girls wore shorts that practically showed their underwear. Tops were cropped so low, part of their breasts could be seen. Clothes were tight fitting that out lined their bodies. It is clear media is influencing the dress code of these youths.
It is understandable from the company’s point of view, targeting to tweens and teens is a profitable strategy, but shouldn’t there be a greater responsibility of corporation besides money. Manipulating and shaping young minds to see their bodies as only sex objects to gain profit is wrong. Where is social responsibility from American corporations? Mass media will be producing insecure, dependent youths who will be the next generation of “leaders”. America will be a sad place because of greed.
Jennifer Chen
Section 01
