Current issues in marketing

CURRENT ISSUES IN MARKETING
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(2 March 2011)
Current Issues in Marketing
One of the interesting recent issues in advertisement to children is the development of a ‘tween’ market. The ages of children considered to be in this market range between 8 years and 12 years. These are neither little children nor teenagers. It is in this age bracket that children begin to have a sense of identity and self-image. Marketers have realized that by treating children falling in this age bracket like teenagers, they are likely to sell more products (Parsons, & Maclaran, 2009). From this realization, the marketing industry has come up with a strategy that is influencing the tweens to grow rapidly. Children, especially those above 11 years do not think of themselves as kids anymore. In order to sell more of their products, companies that manufacture and market toy products have changed their target market (Smeds, & Kaila, 1989; Kurtz, 2009). All along, they targeted children from birth up to 14 years of age. Today they target those children from birth to 10 years.
Marketers have effectively distant parents of these children from the picture by treating tweens as mature and independent consumers (Media Awareness Network, 2010). Thus, they have successfully passed massages about body image, relationships and sexuality to children. Companies understand that tweens have insecurities ands self doubts thus they capitalize in these and make the children believe that they must buy their products in order to be cool. Marketers have influenced the mind of tweens such that they can continuously sell their products to them. The strategy they use is to infiltrate cool hunters in the world of teens so that they can re- introduce the latest trends (Catterall, et al. 2000). Once they identify one, they repackage it and sell it. Once sold, the product is no longer a new trend hence the tweens will turn to something new. The entire process begins all over again. The marketers have thus discovered that they can package the attitudes and activities of the tweens and sell to them (Media Awareness Network, 2010).
The marketers have clouded tweens thinking and are influencing them as they wish. It is increasingly becoming difficult for tweens to have healthy attitudes especially towards sexuality. The advertisement targeting them is full of sexualized young people. Thus, they grow up believi...