In recent years, companies have started shifting towards focusing on marketing and branding to teenagers. Most companies believe teenagers have the most expendable income. In addition, they believe teenagers are often trendsetters, which would result in more demand and revenue for a company’s product.
Most importantly, companies brand and market toward teenagers because many teenagers receive allowances from their families, and a significant number have part-time jobs, resulting in a steady flow of spending money for them.
Teenagers have the most expendable income because “they aren’t worried about buying or saving for things like houses or cars. Therefore ads are geared towards teenagers,” marketing teacher Deb Drommerhausen said.
In addition, companies brand towards teens because they are often viewed as trendsetters. As a result, companies will gain popularity and more income.
Junior Joe Whitehead said teenagers can see these products on social media or in school and then they think they need it. Then, the process keeps repeating.
On the other hand, the teenage employment rate has been spiking over the past few years. In 2024, the teenage employment rate grew 2.2 million or 9.9 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With more teens employed, they have greater financial freedom, which results in companies viewing them as a great target for their products.
“Teenager employment is rising because teens are wanting more money to spend on what they want,” junior Logan Ryan said. Ryan added that with more teens in the workforce in makes it harder for other teens to get hours or even a job.
As a result, teenagers are spending more money now than ever. Things like online shopping and social media play a large influence on their spending. Companies like Amazon make shopping a convenience for teenagers. At the same time products are being promoted by their favorite influencers across various social media platforms enticing teenagers to purchase them.
“Companies for sure target teens through social media, for example, TikTok. Lots of teens are addicted so they see the ads being pushed by companies,” Whitehead said.
Finally, companies spend more than $17 billion marketing to teenagers according to the University of Concordia in St.Paul. Teenagers have more access to these advertisements than they ever did before, through television ads and social media. Because of these increased strategies to get teens to buy their products, some teenagers could end up with bad financial habits in the future or as they grow up.
“Teenagers could most definitely end up with negative effects, It’s also possible that nobody has taught them the difference and importance between wants and needs. But overall companies should not target teens in the way they do,” Ryan said.
Today’s competitive market has sparked change for companies to market to teenagers. From their employment rate, income, social media, online shopping, and influence over trends, teenagers are now seen as appealing more than ever to companies. By targeting teenagers not only have companies achieved immediate sales, but also solidified themselves as huge brand names. Overall, teenagers play a massive role as customers and are essential in today’s market.
