SUP. ?4U. WUT do u kno about teens? probs not a lot. but whatever, right? um, no. OMG it’s, like, so your bad.
I can’t take myself seriously writing this way anymore, so it’s time to go back to normal. However, I think you get my point. It might be the cornerstone of the teenage experience to feel you don’t fit in anywhere, but one thing’s certain: the rapid-fire abbreviations and
IM/text slang is one thing they all have in common. And it’s like a dog whistle to adult ears. We just can’t tune in.
Yet, in order to reach this demographic and truly understand what they want from an apparel promotion, understanding is the name of the game. To get you versed in the madness that defines the tween/teen market, we here at Promo Marketing put together a little quiz for you. Read on to see how you rate.
1. What is the year of fashion most tweens and teens are gravitating toward today?
A) 1980s: Neon, leggings and metallics galore.
B) 1990s: A flannel-accented return to the grunge period.
C) 1970s: Disco glam! Bring on the sequins and gold lamé.
D) 1920s: Everyone’s getting a bobbed haircut.
Answer: A.
According to Samantha Bingham, director of sales and product development for Carrollton, Texas-based In Your Face Apparel, “Kids are looking for an updated version of the 1980’s pop-culture styles with bright bold colors and prints.” Although this is also true for all you style-conscious adults out there as well, the fun part about youth is that it’s a time for experimentation with fashion and style. Mixing prints and embellishments or trying different fabric combinations will be a hit with this group.
2. What is a tween?
A) An elvish folksong, as described by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
B) A rare type of mushroom.
C) A young person between the ages of nine and 12. Not quite a child, yet not quite a teenager.
D) A teenager who doesn’t act their age.
Answer: C.
Parenting magazine describes tweens as adolescents who are in transition, specifically, “perched between childhood and adolescence.” In a more broad sense, in terms of what they like and dislike, Bingham pointed to all things pop culture—TV, fashion, music and movies—as the main drivers of personal taste for both tweens and their more easily defined counterparts, teens.
3. How does this demographic create their own personal style?
A) They pick up random pieces of clothing off the floor and put them on. Mission accomplished.
B) They aren’t afraid to be bold. Layering and shiny fabric is encouraged.
C) They dress like mini clones of their parents.
D) You don’t develop personal style until you’re at least 20.
Answer: B.
“With the current technology making it easier and more cost-effective for suppliers to produce really cool clothing, kids are now able to get access to more styles on their teenage budgets,” Bingham said. She suggested taking advantage of burnout fabric, laser etching and foil printing as a way to give promotional wearables more age-appropriate flair. Also, Bingham pointed to retail fashion T-shirts as a big, big area of opportunity. Instead of a left-chest logo, she suggested an allover print for this market with an added overlay of metallic or heat transfers, accented with studs or stones. “The silkscreen event T-shirt has given way to fashion tees sure to be worn again and again,” Bingham affirmed.
4. What do you do with “bling?”
A) You pile it on to add a bit of shine to your look.
B) You swat it off your car.
C) You listen to it on your iPod.
D) You catch it, like a cold.
Answer: A.
The word “bling” might be ridiculously and comically overused, but the concept remains. Teens and tweens like things to shine. Entire brands have been built on this concept, including the ubiquitous Juicy Couture line. “Rhinestones Are a Tween’s Best Friend,” a 2008 article in The New York Times, discussed the Juicy Couture phantasmagoria as “Duchess of Windsor meets Iron Maiden.” Which is a pretty accurate descriptor for tween/teen style on the whole. Incorporate this trend in logos and embellishments. In Your Face Apparel, for instance, can turn branding into a complete rhinestone design, Bingham pointed out.
5. How can you give a promotional apparel item longevity for a category of end-user that is historically (and hormonally) fickle?
A) They will wear whatever we give them to wear and they will like it.
B) Skew toward larger sizes so there’s room to grow.
C) Understand that there is no such thing as longevity with this group and plan accordingly.
D) Try using accessories—they can sometimes have a longer life span.
Answer: Both C and D.
“It is almost impossible to pick one item that will span over time,” Bingham maintained. However, she does point out that a growing trend in the promotional market is going beyond the simple T-shirt and trying swimwear or accessories such as scarves. Creating something that has the spark of originality could help clients move from flavor of the month to wardrobe mainstay. “The promotional market is … built on shifting with the current trends and playing off of the old standbys,” she added.
6. What should you do to become more in-tune to this market?
A) Watch “Hannah Montana.” A lot.
B) Stand in line to buy tickets to a Jonas Brothers concert. Observe.
C) Read Twilight. The entire series.
D) All of the above.
Answer: D.
Put down The Wall Street Journal. Turn off CNN. “Distributors should stay current with fashion trends and [be] creative in their presentations to customers who reach the tween market,” Bingham said. She pointed to TV shows such as, yes, “Hannah Montana” (hurry, only one season left!) and “90210” (not the one you used to watch. They’ve circled back around and remade it), and reading such magazines as People and Seventeen (which, ironically, is more interesting to those under 17).
How did you do?
One or less correct: LOL.
Terrible! Go to your room immediately and start studying.
Two to four correct: Meh.
There’s room for improvement, but it’s nothing a little MTV won’t fix. Teens still watch it even if there are no music videos.
Five or more: BFFL!
Did you give this to your kid to take? Are you the promotional industry’s own Doogie Howser? If not, congrats. You’re totes cool.
