There are some areas in life where kids lead and the world follow. Brand managers, meet your critics: the teenagers.
If a teenager would come up to you and say "Apple is no longer cool", wouldn't you beleive him - As opposed to an experience marketer in his late 40s, or a marketeer like me (I bet some of you were getting ready to fight when they read the title!) You are likely to argue with the latter and explain to him how he could be misinformed; yet wouldn't you doubt your own knowledge in the matter when a teenager comes up with such a statement?
Have you heard what is the newest trend amongst teens? The huge headphones, colored and really visible ones. I mean, the last I had heard, earphones were getting smaller and all-the-way almost transparent. Well, it seems like teens have issued their verdict, what's in today are SkullCandy and Beats... and hmmm... anything sold at the Apple store?! I am left thinking, I am so off beat!
The fact of the matter is, teenagers make the rules when it comes to brand image. A successful branding campaign can be best measured by its effect on teenagers.
2 comments:
Teenagers are just one age category that marketers target among others. Like all other age categories that marketers target, they're not trend influencers.
If teenagers -which are separate from tweens- say that they like justin Bieber, it only means that teenagers like Justin Bieber. it doesn't mean that a few years from now adults will start liking Justin Bieber (or those hideous headphones)
Agreed teenagers are just one target group. Yet I strongly believe that they way heavily on branding. The verdict on what's cool or what's in, will always be handed in by teens... and you definitely do not need to like Justin Beiber! :) As for the headphones, give it a few years, and they will probably be outdated.
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