Teen Cash Converters (994 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.5 on 14 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Amusingly_shaped_semen_stain (View user info) at 2004-10-08 05:33:41 EDT
They're everywhere. They're here right now on ubersite, you can tell them immediately from what they write and how they write it. They are convinced of their own importance, contradictory and impulsive, they'll tell you they don't care and they want to be different while trying to be liked and dressing in what they think is cool.
Im talking about a certain demographic within western society. The segment of society that is aged between 12 and 17.
Don't get me wrong. This isn't just a rant against our younger brethren. That's been done before I'm sure. My problem is the tweens and the people who exploit them.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term 'Tween', it refers to the young teenagers. They are usually in school still and not earning any money. Nonetheless, they are the key demographic for many advertising agencies who see the tweens as being vital to the building up of 'brand relationships'. Additionally, it is estimated that in 2002 American tweens spent around 40 billion dollars on themselves. TV is made for them - anyone remember how in Dawsons Creek, the main guy, the one with a permanent five o'clock shadow, was supposed to be like 16 or something. Disposable music is churned out for them to buy, for example, that 13-year-old Jojo who recently got to no. 1 in Britain (does anyone else think that was disgusting). Much clothing is based on teen fads and MTV hires nice non-threatening boys for the little girls to swoon over. Even Goths are well covered (don't try and tell me its cheap to dress like that).
What's the problem with that, you might ask. Well, the problem is that they are not spending their own money. Did that stupid 13 year old bitch work a day in her life? No. Do those stupid goons who swarm to see britney spears pay for the tickets on their credit cards?
No, they fucking did not. That money came from their parents.
How much longer are advertisers and media companies going to treat the rest of humanity like it's a cow to be milked. In 2002, the parents of the US struggled through their working year just to have their own kids spend 40 billion of their combined paychecks. Every advert aimed at a tween, every stupid jailbait whore attempting to sing, every justin timberlake appearance is paid for by a parent. It would be less galling if TV, radio and media in general didn't seem to be solely trying to appeal to the youth. I'm 23 and when I watch TV I get the distinct feeling that the TV network isn't particularly interested in entertaining me. My 14 year old sister watches it for hours.
Is it me or are the advertisers taking a very duplicitous route in to wo
User Reviews
Submitted by monkey at 2004-10-08 21:34:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by strider (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:50:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
you just gotta tell your kids "no" sometimes, not "yes" all the time. make them get a paper route or babysitting job so they have to pay for their own CDs and what not.
Submitted by Julia (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:41:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Yes, ASSS (um, unfortunate initials), I understand the rant. So now what? Parents should not buy their kids everything they want and teach them the value of money? (That's what I try to do.) Companies should take these commercials off the air because parents can't be bothered to say no? What?
Here's something that might interest you. I recently visited my family in Southern California, land of the spoiled youth. I was having lunch with my mom, and the people next to us were packing their four- or five-year-old son into a large stroller. He had some kind of padded package that opened in the front, like a lunch box or maybe some kind of game. As they wheeled past, I saw that the boy had a portable DVD player with pop-up screen. The kid apparently couldn't be asked to amuse himself with actually looking at things in the mall. He needed to watch a DVD.
We're raising a generation of kids who have no idea how to amuse themselves. I certainly don't know what to do about it. All I can do is raise my own children and try to set a good example for other kids who are in our life.
Submitted by big_wigger (user info) at 2004-10-08 12:29:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
"the most you can spend on any child is time"
-jurassic 5
Submitted by Amusingly_shaped_semen_stain (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:29:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Julia -
The point is that they are targetting not the wage earner, but the young people that are dependant on the wage earner. Its hard enough trying to raise a child and these policies mean that those children are wanting and demanding expensive status items. A kid turns 13 nowadays and all of a sudden theyre a miniature adult with all the associated desires but none of the concept of how hard it is to make money or what it means to earn something.
This is an insidious and potentially damaging technique; when these kids grow up and move away from their parents, theyre going to have one hell of a surprise.
Submitted by Julia (user info) at 2004-10-08 11:13:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I'm not sure what the point of your rant was. I do agree that marketers love tweens and their spending potential. Yesterday (this is how sad I am), I watched The N for a while because I didn't feel like getting up to change the channel. De Grassi, Radio-Free Something-or-Other, you know. I must have seen 40 commercials for Hilary Duff's new movie and CD. I can imagine all the little girls, like mine, just dying to have it.
But what's your point? Is it just that this situation sucks? It needs to have more recognition? You want people to stop giving their kids money? You want the marketing to change? Go away? You lacked a conclusion.
Submitted by Feijuada (user info) at 2004-10-08 10:43:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I like to smash my 10 'n 11 year old sister's stuff.
Submitted by Amusingly_shaped_semen_stain (user info) at 2004-10-08 09:09:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I just noticed the last line.
It should read - "...working peoples Wallet?"
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2004-10-08 09:06:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Well done.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2004-10-08 08:59:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2004-10-08 06:51:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
yeah that's super size me you are mixing that up with.
Submitted by Amusingly_shaped_semen_stain (user info) at 2004-10-08 06:39:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Havent read it yet (I figured that it was an account of a guy getting fat off of macdonalds and Ive never been a big fan of american fast food). Ill take a look at it though.
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2004-10-08 06:34:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I too have read fast food nation and highly recommend it.
Submitted by Stin (user info) at 2004-10-08 05:59:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
If you're interested in this sort of thing, I recommend Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. It covers a lot of other stuff too obviously, but there's an interesting section on marketing to kids, tweens and older teens, and brand loyalty and all that sort of thing.