Marketers can learn a lot about teens by following the pop charts. Sure, they'll know what music is hot and what's not, but they can also pick up a few tips about branding. In music, as in marketing, image is everything. Lately, the coolest image a band or brand can project is that of just being itself.» 0 Comments
School's back for the semester. Students ranging from kindergarteners to college coeds spent their last few days of summer vacation exchanging their beach towels for new backpacks and shoes in preparation for their return to academia. With back-to-school shopping representing the second-largest sales opportunity for retailers, combined K-College spending will reach nearly $84 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).) That's a lot of three-subject notebooks!» 0 Comments
For decades, teens have cared deeply about how they look. But today's media-rich environment provides style ideas way beyond envying what the most popular kids at school are wearing. In a recent Los Angeles Times article, Yesenia Almonte, beauty director for Seventeen magazine, noted that, "Teens are influenced by celebrities and they look to them for inspiration, not just for special occasions like prom and homecoming, but just for everyday school looks."» 0 Comments
For decades, adults have been counseling teenagers that "high school is the best four years of your life." But most high schoolers would argue that adage is hopelessly out of date.» 0 Comments
School Daze Posted by Eric Pakurar on Aug 24, 6:54 AM
Each year, it seems as if annual shopping seasons come earlier and earlier, whether it's Halloween, Christmas, or back-to-school. Part of this is due to regular retail cycles- which generally run for one or two months prior to peak shopping periods-and then sharply drop off once the holiday or event has passed. Yet, it seems as if this year's back-to-school shopping season crept up much earlier than in past years, with many TV ads airing at the beginning of August (and some even debuting in late July). Meanwhile, digital ads and sales promotions began popping up even earlier, some appearing ...» 0 Comments
At the end of last week, we found out that the Olympic social media "debacle" may not have been a debacle at all. It may have actually helped the games. According to the ratings released on Friday, total viewership for the Olympics is substantially better than it was four years ago. Through the first five days, viewers were up nearly 30% higher than what NBC had originally expected.» 1 Comments
There's no better place to learn about teen girls than the Miss Teen USA pageant. During the last weekend of July, I had the honor of serving on the judging panel for this year's competition in the Bahamas. The hardest part? Picking a winner among so many amazing young women. The best part? Getting to know these fun, talented teens better and picking up a few insights on what matters to them most.» 1 Comments
If you're a teen, there's some good news in this otherwise sluggish economy-your chances of landing a summer job are better today than they were just a year ago.» 0 Comments
I remember the days when watching something containing suggestive material was considered a privilege, not a right. Many of my preteen years consisted of begging my parents to let me watch Eric Cartman run his mouth on "South Park" or Stewie Griffin try to kill his mother on "Family Guy." Eventually, if I was persistent enough, they would give in and let me bask in the warming glow of profanity, sexual innuendo and violence.» 1 Comments
Now that school's out for summer-if not technically out for forever, as noted American philosopher Vincent Damon Furnier (a.k.a. Alice Cooper) once opined-it's worthwhile to consider the media consumption habits of teens during the dog days of the season.» 1 Comments
