Establishing a brand in the eye of the consumer is the goal of every marketing professional. Branding is the name, design or logo that identifies a company, business or service. If branding is effective just hearing a name or seeing a logo provides immediate recognition. McDonald's golden arches are a brand that is easily recognized world-wide. Sometimes just a simple color is used in branding. There is a certain shade of brown that causes people to immediately think UPS.
According to marketing expert, Nick Fuller, today's teenagers are very much into personal branding. They want to project a very specific image to their peers and to the world in general. According to Fuller, "They have hand-selected every photo, wall post, tweet and 'like.' Each is tied to their digital persona." In other words, teens are very savvy when it comes to projecting an image on social media.
Marketing professionals are very aware of the teen market. They are constantly monitoring their behavior hoping to gain insights by observing teen trends. They view teens as being consumers with almost unlimited financial resources. Hint! Hint! There is a red flag.
Parents need to be aware of this on two levels. First and foremost they need to be aware of the image their teens are trying to project. That might mean being friends with their teens and their peers on Facebook and on Twitter. If the images do not match the image or values they desire for their children they need to bring that to their teen's attention. It should be an opportunity to discuss it. It is also important to set guidelines in terms of spending. Teenagers need to learn to operate with a budget just like parents and families do.
You can read more from Nick Fuller at http://www.mediapost.com/.
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