I'm thinking about switching to a side part. What about you?

 

Gen Z has spoken.  Side hair parts, skinny jeans and laughing crying emojis are out.  Oh.  And you can call them Zoomers. (Bansal, 2021)

Each generation has to follow its own path if only to differentiate themselves from those older and less cool.  And right now it's game on between Gen Z and Millennials.

But where do these directives come from, who issues them and why?

Apparently it's the folks on TikTok.  And they think that a side part makes someone looks old. 

Maybe that's true. 

But another person posted this - "As a teen on TikTok I'm going to say it's because we've noticed that Democrats have middle parts and Republicans have side parts."

Now that's unexpected.  Or is it?

The polarization of politics in America has taken a frightening new turn as the need to belong to a tribe has become so intense that people are willing to believe and do just about anything to stay in the tribe.

In a poll taken earlier this month, 23% of Republicans say they will definitely not get vaccinated, and another 21% says they will probably not get vaccinated.  That adds up to 44%.  Meanwhile only 7% of Democrats say they will not get vaccinated.  (Beer, 2021)

Why is there such a big difference?  Because people with different party affiliations rely on different sources for their news. According to Pew Research, 93% of Republicans get their news from Fox, while 95% of Democrats get their news from MSNBC. Adults 18-29, 29% prefer the New York Times.  (Grieco, 2020)

And then there are those that get their news from social media - 18% of Americans are willing to admit it - they are less engaged and less knowledgeable than those who use other sources. (Mitchell, Jurkowitz, Oliphant & Shearer, 2020)

What have you seen people do to belong to a tribe?  What tribes do you belong to?  What have you done to bond with the tribes that you belong to?  Anything you regret? 

What determines how willing someone is to follow the dictates of the tribe?  Will you change your hair to a middle part and switch to yoga pants and skull emojis?  Why or why not?

 

Bansal, S. (2021, February 5)  Gen Z is Roasting Millennials for Their Side Parts and Skinny Jeans.  vice.com.  Retrieved February 22, 2021, from  https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dp4w5/genz-millennials-skinny-jeans-generation-wars

Beer, T. (2021, February 10) Nearly 1 in 4 Republicans 'Definitely' Won't Get Covid-19Vaccine, Survey Finds.  forbes.com.  Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/02/10/nearly-1-in-4-republicans-definitely-wont-get-covid-19-vaccine-survey-finds/?sh=53897ea2b68f

Grieco, E. (2020, April 1)  Americans' main sources for political news vary by party and age.  pewresearch.org.  Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/01/americans-main-sources-for-political-news-vary-by-party-and-age/

Mitchell, A., Jurkowitz, M., Oliphant, J., & Shearer, E. (2020, July 30)  Americans Who Mainly Get Their News on Social Media Are Less Engaged, Less Knowledgeable.  Pew research center. Retrieved Feburary 22, 2021, from  https://www.journalism.org/2020/07/30/americans-who-mainly-get-their-news-on-social-media-are-less-engaged-less-knowledgeable/

 

Is it fair for marketers to target children?

 

The New York Times has announced that they are testing "NYT Kids," a digital paid subscription product targeted to children.  A section of the same name has been running in the print edition since 2017.  But current Times digital products are limited to adults and teens.

 

The subscription would include how-to content on crafts, recipes and physical activities.  There will be no display advertising.  And the product will be complaint with children's digital online privacy laws. (Schultz, 2021)

 

But the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) focuses on data mining practices not the bigger question of whether it is ethical to market to children. (FTC, 2020)

 

In the U.K. both Facebook and Google are being pressured to stop marketing to people under the age of 18.  (BBC, 2020)

 

While in the U.S. Google paid $170 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that YouTube hosts "numerous channels" directed to children and has been selling them to marketing partners such as Mattel and Hasbro bragging that  “YouTube is today’s leader in reaching children age 6-11 against top TV channels.” (Davis, 2019)

 

Marketing to children has taken place on television and in magazines for decades.  But here too questions are being raised.  Last winter the Massachusetts D.A. announced a lawsuit against Juul alleging placements in Nickelodeon, The Cartoon Network, Seventeen magazine and on educational sites for middle and high school students, targeting underage teens. (Kaplan, 2020)

 

Meanwhile, research has shown that most children do not understand the concept of "selling" until they are at least eight years old; and full comprehension does not occur until age 11. (Brucks, Goldberg & Armstrong, 1986)

 

Which brings us back to the original question.

 

Should we ban marketing to children?  At what age?  Should we introduce more regulations?  Or just leave it to the courts?  If you were a marketer what would you do?  As a consumer will you continue to buy products from a company that markets to kids?  Should parents get their kids a subscription to NYT Kids?  Would you if you had children?

 

(2020, July)  Complying With COOPA: Frequently Asked Questions.  ftc.gov.  Retrieved February 16, 2021, from  https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions-0

 

(2020, September 18)  Google and Facebook under pressure to ban children's ads.  bbc.com.  Retrieved February 16, 2021, from  https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54205229

Davis, W. (2019, September 4) YouTube Agrees To Pay $170 Million Over Children's Privacy Violations.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved February 16, 2021, from  https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/340250/youtube-agrees-to-pay-170-million-over-childrens.html

 

Kaplan, S.  (2020, February 12)  Juul Bought Ads Appearing on Cartoon Network and Other Youth Sites, Suit Claims.  nytimes.com.  Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/health/juul-vaping-lawsuit.html

Merrie Brucks, Marvin E. Goldberg, and Gary M. Armstrong (1986) ,"Children's Cognitive Responses to Advertising", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, eds. Richard J. Lutz, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 650-654.  Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/6574/volumes/v13/NA-13

Will embracing cause marketing be a smart move for Budweiser?

On January 25, Anheuser-Busch announced that for the first time since 1983, flagship brand Budweiser would not be running a commercial during the Super Bowl.

 

Instead, they pledged to redirect spending for the airtime to marketing campaigns related to Covid-19 vaccinations.  Not the entire $5.6 million of course.  Rather, they are committing $1 million of ad inventory to vaccine awareness and education work created by the AdCouncil and Covid Collective. (Ives, 2021)

 

To announce their intentions, they ran this video on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where it drew 18 million views. (Lukovitz, 2021)

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on04UnEzCt8

 

For comparison, this year's game was watched by 96.4 million people.  That's a lot more eyeballs.

 

But, Nike has proven that cause marketing can be a winner.  So the question is, will it be for Bud too?  

 

The Super Bowl provides a once a year opportunity to reach a massive audience.  But only a portion of them drink Budweiser.  So who are the heavy beer drinkers?  How much tv do they watch?  Were they likely to watch the Super Bowl? 

 

What are their social media habits?  Do all of these social media selections make sense based on the target?  Which do you think will be more successful?  And why?  What about the creative?  Will it speak to the target?  Does it speak to you?

 

 

Ives, N. (2021, January 25)  Budweiser Skips Super Bowl Ad, Promises Vaccine Education Instead.  wsj.com.  Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/budweiser-skips-super-bowl-ad-promises-vaccine-education-instead-11611576000#:~:text=Anheuser%2DBusch%20said%20it%20won,to%20Covid%2D19%20vaccinations%20instead.

 

Lukovitz, K. (2021, February 4)  Bud Is A Big Pre-Super Bowl Social Winner, Despite No In-Game Ad.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/360263/bud-is-a-big-pre-super-bowl-social-winner-despite.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=121325&hashid=7oLy6BQof_n8qnIdNuaNh1ONxl0