In-Be-Tweens

Marketing to the age group between teenagers and children, referred to as tweens by marketers, have been in the sights of the marketing companies for years. What really makes this target group so elusive?

This is a group that is in a state of flux, sitting between childhood and adulthood, and if you think being or even raising a tween is difficult think about those who are charged with the task of understanding this group and creating products and advertisements that capture their attention. There have been books written on the subject, conferences and even marketing firms built solely on providing market analysis on tweens and their spending behavior.

As the years have passed and times have changes the definition of tweens is getting a little  fuzzier. While most marketing companies consider the ages of 8 to 12 or 14 to be “tweens” I have seen market analysis listing the age between 6 and 14. That leads me to wonder what exactly are tweens in between? Anyway, This age group, whatever age it may be, is considered a decent sized portion of consumer spending accounting for about $220 billion. With that much cash exchanging hands it is easy to understand why many marketers are trying to crack the code to get this group’s attention.

While the girls market in the tween area has become saturated with dolls, fashion-based video games and other such products the market for boys is a little less touched. Companies are beginning to focus of this group with toys that inspire imagination, such as Legos, and cater to boys’ love for gross out humor, think of the numerous goo products being sold these days. Both boys and girls, however seem to be constantly bombarded with advertisements and marketing. Even school books now have ads in the front covers for study aids and even toys. This saturation of advertising is making this pint-sized consumer more alert and money-wise than ever. Creating marketing for this group will be all about engaging them and their friends through interactive advertisements and personalized marketing efforts. Marketing companies who are targeting these groups have learned that they want to define their boundaries, weather it be toys like American Girl that allows you to customize a doll that looks like you, or  food, like the Subway advertisements that tell kids they can have their sandwich the way they want it. Catering to this age group’s new found independence will be key to creating marketing that appeals to their tastes.