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]

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