"Tribes"

An article titled "Reaching out to kids" discusses the benefits and challanges marketers face when targeting the yough segment. They begin by discussing the problem of how divided this group is. Marketers want to connect with kids, tweens, and teenagers. Yet, simple segmenting tools do not work on this rapidly changing segment.

To help catagories these kids marketers have started to seperate them into "tribes". Each tribe is supposed to share similar passion and personality traits that are easier to market to. Barbie Clarke, founder of specialist insight agency Family Kids and Youth, questions how usuful these tribes are to marketers. Even though these kids and teenagers share similar passions and traits, these elements change so quickly as kids try to find their own identity.

Alot of researchers believe that the music a kids listens to can help define who they are. MTV has many different stations and segments to market to different tribes of kids. MTV can easily benefit from music defining tribes. MTV hits tragets kids who are interested in mainstreem pop, MTV2 targets the Indie fans, while MTV Flux markets to the yough group with alternative taste.

Another challenge that comes along with marketing to kids is when a company is international. A study called the Circuits of Cool, a global study by MTV, Nickelodeon and Microsoft, adressed this issue. It was based on a survey of 18,000 children and youths from 16 countries. The study concluded that even though kids have access to similar technology throughout the globe, how they use it varies greatly from country to country.

In the end, marketing to kids is a very profitable market. Although it is hard to pin point a certain campaign that will reach your targeted group, the results are worth the effort. Holding a kids attention can mean receiving a life time brand user!

Marketing, November 28, 2007, MARKET RESEARCH; Pg. 35, 1698 words