Branding the Teenage Mind

“If no [one complained], we’d be selling sexy underwear to 8-year-olds and using nude kids to do it. “

That’s the thinking of Alissa Quart, author of ‘Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers’. She claims that advertising has become so pervasive to teens that teenagers now judge each other on the brands they own rather than their looks or popularity.

“It’s not about selling per se,” Ms. Quart said in an interview. “It’s about the extensive and invasive techniques being used.”

I think it’s simply because there are so many media outlets through which to reach the teen audience. Marketers will use them all because if they don’t, their competition will. It’s a viscous circle with no end in sight. [via Ad Age]

Picture of Steve Hall

Steve Hall

RECENT ARTICLES

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

7 things people with a strong sense of self never feel the need to explain

7 things people with a strong sense of self never feel the need to explain

Hack Spirit

8 things genuinely humble people do that you only notice in hindsight

8 things genuinely humble people do that you only notice in hindsight

Hack Spirit

If you’ve stopped doing these 7 things, you’ve probably grown more than you give yourself credit for

If you’ve stopped doing these 7 things, you’ve probably grown more than you give yourself credit for

Hack Spirit

9 phrases people with old-fashioned manners still use, and probably always will

9 phrases people with old-fashioned manners still use, and probably always will

Hack Spirit

7 quiet habits of people who age into themselves rather than away from themselves

7 quiet habits of people who age into themselves rather than away from themselves

Hack Spirit

If you find yourself doing these 7 things at parties, you’re more socially skilled than you think

If you find yourself doing these 7 things at parties, you’re more socially skilled than you think

Hack Spirit