Bankrupt at Age Twenty-Five: Marketing to Teens, Tweens, and
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #040831 - 08/31/2004
Bankrupt at Age Twenty-Five: Marketing to Teens, Tweens, and Kids
King Edward VIII of England quipped, "The thing that impresses me most about
America is the way parents obey their children." That was almost one hundred
years ago, but it certainly applies to today's culture.
Nowhere is it truer than in spending patterns. Many parents these days try to
overcome emotional bankruptcy with stuff. On MARS HILL AUDIO, Ken Myers quoted
one marketing researcher who described it as "guilt money": Parents say, "Here's
the credit card. Why don't you go online and buy something because I can't spend
time with you."
The results? In 2002 alone, teens spent $100 billion. On top of that, they got
their parents to spend and additional $50 billion on them. Over the past couple
of days, we've been addressing how the alcohol industry targets kids and how
popular movies send the message that having material goods is the ultimate
virtue. No wonder advertisements skew young. That's where the money is.
Marketers know it. And the results are disastrous.
In her book BRANDED: THE BUYING AND SELLING OF TEENAGERS Alissa Quart writes
that "those under twenty-five are now the fastest-growing group filing for
bankruptcy." Nevertheless, "financial-services companies now create teenage-
oriented credit and cash cards." There is even a debit card for kids that
parents can fund through an advance from their own credit cards.
And marketers take advantage of this cash-rich audience. Teen magazines now
appeal to "tweens," those between the ages of 10 and 14. And CARTOON NETWORK
airs commercials for MTV, a music channel for older teens and adults, during
cartoons for 7- to 11-year-olds. In BRANDED, Quart documents how marketers
specifically target kids, tweens, and teens -- even at their schools through
"sponsored" field trips and school events, like "Coke Day."
Marketers "acknowledge they have an easier time reaching teens because of the
teens' increasingly bleak and atrophied familial relationships," writes Quart.
"With parents out of the house, the social force of school and that world's
currency -- the in group's favorite commodities -- now has a greater importance
to teens than ever before."
She goes on to say, "Teenagers have come to feel that consumer goods are their
friends -- and that the companies selling products to them are trusted allies.
After all, they inquire after the kids' opinions with all the solicitude of an
ideal parent."
"Teenagers have come to feel that consumer goods are their friends -- and that
the companies selling products to them are trusted allies."
We do our kids a terrible disservice when we teach them to fill their emotional
needs with material goods and when we don't teach them how to just say "no."
Judith Martin, better known as Miss Manners, extols the authoritarianism of a
parent saying "because I say so." Responding to parents who question expressing
their opinion to their children, she wondered "how the non-judgmentalists expect
their children to develop judgment without having observed the process." Well
said, Miss Manners.
Christian parents and kids need to stand out from the rest of the culture. Call
us here at BreakPoint (1-877-322-5527). We want to send you some information on
how you can protect your kids -- not only to teach them to discern marketers'
intentions, but to teach them how to say "no" themselves, so they don't become
bankrupt before starting a career.
This commentary first aired on November 18, 2003.
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Copyright (c) 2004 Prison Fellowship THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.
THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. "BreakPoint with
Chuck Colson" is a daily commentary on news and trends from a Christian
perspective. Heard on more than 1000 radio outlets nationwide, BreakPoint
transcripts are also available on the Internet. BreakPoint is a production
of The Wilberforce Forum, a division of Prison Fellowship: 1856 Old Reston
Avenue, Reston, VA 20190.
FOR FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
Alissa Quart, BRANDED: THE BUYING AND SELLING OF TEENAGERS (Perseus, 2003).
http://msg1svc.net/servlet/Gateway?p=pfm&u=4282&et=T&s=218054
Originally published August 31, 2004.
