Branding Essay

Branding for 21st Century Teenagers
Professor Dindayal Swain* Suprava Sahu* Teenagers - kids from the age of 13 to 19 - currently spend $150 billion per year globally. Teens also influence an additional $150 billion per year globally with “pester power.” And they indirectly influence another $300 billion per year, for example, in situations in which a parent makes a purchase taking into account kids’ tastes. That’s a total purchasing/influencing power of $600 billion this year. In addition to the products that teens buy for themselves and/or consume themselves (food, entertainment, clothing, music, electronics, etc.), teens actually influence adults’ purchases of a large variety of products. Although earlier generations have grown up with computers and computer games, this is the first generation to have grown up with online chat and multiplayer online games as part of their milieu. This generation uses the Internet not just to find things out or to connect with friends from their neighborhoods or from school. This generation uses the Net to make new friends from all over the world, to compete with them for mastery of their virtual worlds, and to co-create new communities and planets. Today’s teens are also masters of multitasking. They are able to do their homework, talk on the phone with friends, watch TV, surf the Net, chat online, and listen to music - all at the same time. Historically, teenagers have been the change agent in every society, powerful and influential as ever in almost all areas. Most companies have tried to harness this power of the teen market- very few have succeeded in harvesting the rewards of teenage brand-loyalty. Therefore, in the often- freckle world of teenagers, the brand name should be able to trigger a series of expectations not only about the product, its quality, ease of use, etc., but also about what the product stands for in the mind of teenager. Branding, therefore not only represents the company or product, but also cool...