11.14.05
When it comes to the tween (ages 8-12) consumer category, television and printed advertising requires a targeted approach, according to marketing firm Gianettino and Merideth, Short Hills, NJ. The firm presented “The Tween Scene,” a compilation of data on this very individual market, in April. The tween segment can be broken down into 8 to 10-year-olds (“emerging tweens”) and 11 to 12-year olds (“transitioning tweens”).
Tweens have money of their own, but their parents still influence what they buy, and pleasing both parents and tweens can be difficult, executives said. A targeted approach can be successful (either toward tweens or their parents); trying to capture both the youngsters and their elders in one ad or commercial can be doomed to fail.
Examples were given, such as Yoplait’s successful “skateboarder” commercial (with images of an independent youngster); Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Colors, geared toward adults with images garnering a sense of keeping children safe and Sunny D “brother and sister fighting over drink,” which missed the mark due to its mix of adult- and tween-related images, G&M executives said.
Tweens have money of their own, but their parents still influence what they buy, and pleasing both parents and tweens can be difficult, executives said. A targeted approach can be successful (either toward tweens or their parents); trying to capture both the youngsters and their elders in one ad or commercial can be doomed to fail.
Examples were given, such as Yoplait’s successful “skateboarder” commercial (with images of an independent youngster); Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Colors, geared toward adults with images garnering a sense of keeping children safe and Sunny D “brother and sister fighting over drink,” which missed the mark due to its mix of adult- and tween-related images, G&M executives said.