Download pdf - Tween Commandments

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Page 1: Tween Commandments
Page 2: Tween Commandments

We live in an era where every brand is in a constant screaming

match with one another. “Look at us! We’re here! Hey listen!” Avoid

sounding like a broken record, quit trying to convince all tweens

who you are and why they should care. Instead, focus on smaller

segments with the highest likelihood of subscribing to your brand,

(or those who already do). These groups of young people have the

potential to build something even better with you -- and that’s

harnessing passion. Make tweens feel special and empower them

to influence those who aren’t listening to your brand.

DO YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR TWEEN AUDIENCE SEGMENTS AND WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT MOST?

FOCUS ON SEGMENTS1. TWEENS ARE A COMPLEX GROUP:

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2. BE AUTHENTICFind your voice and use it to your advantage. Be personal and

relatable, so tweens have the opportunity to fall in love with your

brand on its own merit. Let’s say for instance, you really think that

people should “stop trying to make fetch happen” (ahem, Mean Girls

10th year anniversary), then say so! Having opinions and sticking

with them builds authenticity into your brand regardless of the

medium. Sharpening the focus on authenticity keeps hot tween

brands like Envy Scooters and puzzle app Dwarven Den relevant.

The same goes with established brands like MTV, Forever 21, and

McDonalds who, (grossly enough) have stayed in tune with tweens

for decades. Nostalgistic authenticity even drove the beloved Furby

toy's comeback with tweens.

WHAT UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTICITY CAN YOUR BRAND LEVERAGE TO ATTRACT TWEENS?

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MEME: DOGEMEME: DOGE

3. RESPECT THE POWER

Tweens aren’t driving themselves anywhere, yet they are driving

serious demand on product purchases, which creates many 

challenges. Parents are the true buyers and determine where and

when tweens go shopping, brands need to simultaneously

connect with parents in order to close the loop and earn the big

bucks. In reality, tweens themselves only make an estimated 8%

of their purchases.

HOW IS YOUR BRAND CONNECTING WITH PARENTS WHILE STAYING CONNECTED WITH TWEENS?

OF PARENTS

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MEME: DOGE

4. TRY LESS @MENTIONSAND DEEPER ENGAGEMENTIt’s easy for distracted tweens to forget your brand, and fast! Think

about it, the average tween will see over 150,000 marketing

messages before they hit age 15. Successful brands realize the need

to start building meaningful connections with tweens that will last

well into their teendom. Invest time understanding what tweens in

your targeted segments are going through in life, discover their real

aspirations, and develop products and content they care about.

Better yet, co-create directly with tweens. Upcoming band R5 is a

great example of doing engagement right. They RT fans, tweet

directly to them, and frequently hold #AskR5’s (real-time Q&A). This

deeply fostered connection with their audience resulted in a fast

growing tween fan base, nearing 1 million followers in their first year.

HOW CAN YOUR BRAND FACILITATE THE DEEPER LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT TWEENS WANT?

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5. EARN THEIR TRUST ANDGO FOR THE LONG HAULThis goes hand in hand with authenticity and is worth calling

out. Tweens can smell a half-baked endorsement from a 1,000

miles away. Let’s put this into perspective... Justin Bieber

endorsing “Party Pieces”, a resource for parents to plan parties

and shop online. In our opinion it's a big FAIL, just so obviously

not real. No different are the misguided brands leveraging action

sports with images of athletes flying through the air without

context. What about about One Direction & Beyoncé endorsing

Pepsi? SUCCESS! Why? They are larger than life and it all

emotionally connects. In the end, artists and athletes come and

go, but trust is forever. Whether you work with celebs or not, be

transparent and choose opportunities to earn consumer trust

over a flash in the pan campaign.

WHY PAY $$$ FOR A PHONY BOOST TODAY, JUST TO FADE AWAY TOMORROW?

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MEME: DOGEMEME: DOGE

6. LET TWEENS HAVE A SAY!Everyone has an opinion, and tweens are just dying to have theirs

heard! Sure, you can just ask the typical “fluffy” stuff, but why not

try giving your audience a real voice? Popstar Magazine is a great

example of letting their tween fans impact the brand by inviting

them in and asking, “who would you like to see in next months

mag?”. Popstar wins, with direct insights into who is cool, and

who isn’t.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE TWEENS A PART OF YOUR BRAND?

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MEME: DOGEMEME: DOGEMEME: DOGE

7. ALLOW YOUR BRANDTake the time to lay the groundwork. Today, so many brands want

to aggressively build a community overnight in order to propel

business growth. It's essential to realize that pouncing on

tweens in pushy ways will be ignored 9 times out of 10. Great

brands like GoPro, in reality are a "10-year overnight” success.

Commit to being in the right places, at the right times, and for the

long haul. Chances are, if your brand is good, it will be discovered.

TWEENS LOVE BEING FIRST ON THE BRANDWAGON: HOW IS YOUR BRAND EMBRACING TWEENS

AS SOCIAL PIONEERS?

TO BE DISCOVERED

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8. ENTERTAIN THEWinning retailers create environments where tweens can play

around with products and make them feel like it’s their clubhouse

for the moment. Activate retail spaces with sensory overload.

Relevant music, vibrant colors, aromas, and loads of products:

that’s the combo that keeps tweens coming back for brands at

retail. Create experiences that engage, from in store events,

contests, product testing, and more. Always consider touch

points that connect the real world with mobile.

HOW IS YOUR BRAND CREATING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES WITH TWEENS AND YOUR PRODUCTS?

SENSES AT RETAIL

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9. “I WAS HERE BEFORE

Stay connected with your audience to find out what mobile apps

and social platforms are emerging. Experiment on new platforms

that fit your brand before they go mainstream, and test them. It

may even strike relevant conversations and generate content for

your existing social media platforms. Worse case scenario, your

brand stays in tune with tweens and learns a few valuable

lessons. If you have a good sense for what's cool and get lucky,

your brand might even be on the forefront of digital tweendom

before everyone else. Reminder: lock down usernames ASAP!

DOES YOUR BRAND EMPLOY A DIGITAL STRATEGYOF EXPERIMENTATION? WHEN IT COMES TO TWEENS, YOU SHOULD.

IT WAS COOL”

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10. AGE COMPRESSION

Tween consumers are becoming even more empowered, and

continue to seek interests that previously captivated late teens

and young adults. More than ever before they resist being treated

like kids, which is evolving rapidly with the exposure to media

content focused on older audiences. Streetwear, beauty, and

entertainment industries are in many ways benefiting from these

changes, yet toy brands and other industries reaching children

are faced with whole a new set of challenges.

HOW IS YOUR BRAND ADAPTING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE?

AIN’T EASY

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IMMERSIVE IS THE cultivating brand relevance with young people.Unlock the passion of tweens, teens, and young adults through

cohesive solutions that emotionally connect, inspire action, and

positively change behaviors. Some of the world's greatest brands

we work with, include; Qualcomm, Funny Or Die, Bravo Sports,

Polaroid, Hansen's Natural, Konami Digital Entertainment, Givit,

and Body Glove. Areas of expertise include; youth and parent

consumer insights, brand strategy, social media and mobile

technology, content marketing and experiential engagement.

www.immersiveyouthmarketing.com

YOUTH MARKETING AGENCY