Teenage Consumers Essay Research Paper As the

Teenage Consumers Essay, Research Paper As the sun shines a little bit too brilliantly through the window and your silver-plated designer alarm clock blares, you roll out of bed. Being the troubled, sassy, and tired genius teenager that you are, you reach for your Sony laptop and hurriedly cram it into your North Face backpack. You smile at the originality of its buttons and patches that don street smart sayings whose purpose are to differentiate your black bag from all of the other clones that are seen in your school?s hallways. As you stumble out your front door, Diet Coke and Pop-tart in hand, you don?t stop to realize that you are being sucked into a black hole that has made you and teens like yourself the biggest group of consumers in the entire world. Solely during your

morning commute, you have been exposed to 115 advertisements, most of which have been targeted toward you. You have become so accustomed to the media and the advertising wallpaper that is plastered all over your world, that you do not take notice of the scams and the tricks that you are about to fall for. Two weeks ago, you faintly remember hearing your mother and father talking about the newest baby boomers, but you had no idea what they were talking about. You figured that they were just reminiscing over their nightly brandy like they normally do. You didn?t know that because the teen population has grown twice as fast as the overall population in the last decade, that you and your peers are the future of the marketing and advertising world. (Zollo 19) As you stare out the

tinted window of your best friend?s Volkswagon Jetta, a billboard reminds you of last weekend?s party. You can almost taste the Doritos and the Twix ice cream that they had served. You also clearly remember the hours that you spent looking for an outfit, and how you finally settled on an overpriced DKNY skirt because it showed the label on the front. Because it has become easier and easier over the years to reach the teenage consumer, all sorts of brands are taking advantage of you. Why did you buy that skirt even though the olive color didn?t go with your highlighted reddish hair? Teenagers do not realize the power that the marketing world has gained over their minds. They have been brainwashed into buying and spending money since they were brought into the world by their

excited and eager parents. The teen purchasing power has driven marketers and companies into actively pursuing this market (Zollo 303). Teenagers alone spent an overwhelming 540 billion dollars in 1999, which researchers believe is only the beginning for this no-holds-barred group of consumers. Because lately so much pressure and focus has been directed toward the teenage consumer, young adults and their parents must to be careful not to get sucked into the whirlwind of advertising and consuming that has taken over the market today. Understanding the way that this group of consumers has slowly taken over the world is crucial to being a smart customer while living in this money-driven society. During the years between the Depression and the end of World War One, adolescents were

no longer considered children. They had become ?bobby soxers,? teenagers who had a voice and vote in their family?s affairs (Palladino 99). For the first time, they had private social lives and expected higher standards of living for themselves and their families. Due to the sudden need for a social life, the quest for popularity brought a new market designed for teenagers. Teens at this time were determined to be independent. (Palladino 100) The economic prosperity in the post-war world yielded ?personal freedom and enjoyment.? Boys expected a car and a license at age sixteen, and girls demanded the newest makeup and trendy poodle skirts. The war had seemed to teach teenagers the meaning of sacrifice, but engage their appetite for clothing, records and other superficial and