Table
of Contents
Heard
on the Playground
What's
New This Month
Tech
Trends
Kids
Tweens
Teens
Trend
Watch
Heard
on the Playground
While
the nation’s playgrounds are relatively quiet this summer, the number
of teachers not returning in the fall to blow their whistles continue
to climb. More than
20 percent of teachers quit in their first three years.
According to a recent article in Newsweek, the main reason
teachers quit is the low salary. Hardships on the job and a lack
of support from administrators and the public are two other reasons.
A recent government report states that the nation’s
public schools will need two million new teachers in the next decade
alone. This alarming
trend becomes even more of an issue when combined with some findings
released at the 105th National PTA Convention this month.
Kids have in fact recognized a need for extra academic
help. Fifty-five percent
of students believe they could benefit from assistance with just
over 50 percent saying they would be willing to give up an extra-curricular
activity to get this additional help.
Recent initiatives by the government to give teachers
breaks in paying back school loans are a sign that this potential
problem is being addressed.
Finding out that kids are even more interested in learning
increases the importance of averting a shortage of teachers.
In fact, giving these students the extra assistance they desire
may plant the seed for an educator in the future.
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What's
New This Month
Picture
Perfect
Another
manufacturer of traditional adult products is taking a crack at
the tween market in hopes of developing a long-term relationship.
The Olympus’ i snap is the first such launch for the company
and will be available in July at retailers nationwide, including
Wal-Mart. The suggested
retail price will be $39.95.
Olympus
did their homework with extensive research to better understand
the needs of the tween market. They believe that the
combination of youthful style, affordability, ease of use and quality
make the camera unique for tweens.
The
shape and color of the i snap were specifically designed for them.
Sonic sky, kosmic kiwi and rocket ruby colored cameras let
tweens know that the i snap is truly just for them.
Along with the hip look, the camera offers drop-in film loading,
automatic flash and red-eye reduction, along with several other
features. Of course,
the favorite may be the inflatable 3.5” x 5” picture frame and translucent
camera case that comes in every blister kit.
The
launch is also being accompanied with a nationwide promotion as
Olympus and Nickelodeon partner up to find the best tween photographer
in the country. The
winners will receive free tickets to the TEENick Presents: Aaron’s
Party, along with back-stage passes and an i snap to document their
night.
Olympus
has seemingly covered all their bases, including a tween-friendly
website with tips on photography.
While most tweens will simply look to have fun with their camera,
there will be others that will discover an interest in photography.
Olympus is hoping that as tweens grow older, they will look
to them to meet their needs.
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Tech
Trends
The
411 on Teens and their Peeps
They
don’t make good long-distance commercials like they used to, but
of course, who needs long distance.
The Internet has taken long-distance communication to new
heights, and instant messaging has taken it one step further.
For those that do not have time to wait for email,
the free flow of instant messaging has created an entirely new forum
for people to keep in touch.
Just like programming a VCR, many adults have not grasped
onto it as quickly as their kids.
Results released from a telephone survey by Pew Internet
and American Life Project of 754 children and their parents showed
that 74 percent of online teens use instant messaging.
Nearly 70 percent of teens aged 12 to 17 “IM” several times
a week.
The phone is still the most popular way for teens
to stay in touch, but the anonymity of the Internet has its advantages
too. Thirty-seven percent
have used instant messaging to say something that they would not
say in person, and 17 percent have used it to ask someone out.
On the flip side, 13 percent of teens have used it to break
up with someone.
Whether teens are looking for love or breaking
hearts, they have definitely taken to instant messaging.
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Kids
The
Giraffe Gets a Check-up from the Neck Up . . . and Down
Two
Kids “R” Us stores that were recently converted to their new prototype
format have been a success according to the company.
DSN Retailing Today wrote that the retailer hopes to have
five to seven more stores converted by Back-to-School season.
If
all goes well with these stores, the company will change all 197
stores by 2003. The
transformation of the store has been based on the desire to be a
fun store for kids as well as a functional one for parents.
The middle of the store features new product categories like
bedding and bath accessories, electronics and personal care products.
The
layout of the store and the spacing created by the teardrop-shaped
racetrack let consumers navigate the store more easily.
An emphasis on colorful signage organizes the clothes by
gender and sizes. Complete
outfits with seasonal accessories, like hats, are on display in
spinning wardrobes and wall units.
In
addition to these changes, there is a new focus on trend-right merchandise
and increasing the amount of exclusive merchandise.
With all of these physical changes, they have also recognized
the time tested importance of customer service.
The employees will now receive more hours of training with
more being on the floor to help customers.
Overall, they hope to create a positive impression that will
impact sales at both Kids “R” Us and Toys “R” Us.
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Top
Tweens
Keeping
Minivans from Becoming
Clown Cars
A recent article by Associated Press Writer Elizabeth
Kennedy looked at the need to educate tween girls in the use of
cosmetics. While it
may seem that the idols they look up to need a lesson themselves,
it is much easier for parents to control their own little divas
at home than those on MTV.
According to the Teenmark survey by MRI, teenagers
aged 12-19 spent $2 billion on health-and-beauty aids last year.
This is the group that tweens aspire to be, so makeup is
a big part of how they want to define themselves.
It is the parent’s job to make sure these girls realize that
makeup does not define who they are.
Once that is hopefully instilled in them, there are plenty
of other lessons needed in application.
Tween girls who first start out with cosmetics tend
to overdo it. With
the prevalence of glitter, too much can become quite a spectacle. Besides glitter, popular products and colors right now range
from pink to stage makeup like gothic black eyeliner.
The introduction of makeup into a girl’s life has
traditionally signified that she is becoming a “young woman.”
The fact that this rite of passage continues to happen earlier
is no real surprise considering the desire of tweens to grow older
faster. For parents,
it is a matter of deciding what they are comfortable with for their
own child and going from there.
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to Top
Teens
Branded for
Life
A
recent study commissioned by Nation’s Restaurant News of 1,003 consumers
nationwide illustrated the importance of familiar brand names being
present in restaurants. The
teen segment, aged 14-17, had views consistent with the older age
groups, and in several cases was the leading group.
A
majority of teens feel that a restaurant that uses more branded
foods like Heinz, General Foods and Kraft cares more about its customers.
Just under 50 percent feel that this makes the restaurant
“upscale” and is a place they’ll go. Seventy-one percent of teens report feeling more comfortable
in a restaurant with brands on the menu.
With
fickle consumers like teens, when you give them an inch, they take
a mile. A vast majority
of them want to see an even greater variety of branded items on
the menu. A familiarity
with brands will make teens and their inexperienced taste buds more
adventurous. Eighty
percent said they would try new dishes if they are made with trusted
brands.
Overall,
they believe that these brands make the quality consistently better.
Due to a familiarity with these brands, teens find the food
more appealing, fresher and that it tastes better.
In general, teens are also the most likely group to seek
out a specific brand to quench thirst cravings or to satisfy a desire
for a particular food taste.
This
is another example demonstrating the importance of giving teens
what they want. The
desires of older segments to have their needs met shows that these
expectations do not decrease.
As soon as a want is met once, it becomes a demand that some
company or restaurant is always willing to meet.
Back
to Top
Trend Watch
A
recent article in Entertainment Weekly asked who will survive
when “Bubblegum Pop” bursts, and more importantly, what new acts
will take their place. While
‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys aren’t ready to ride off into the
sunset, it is getting harder and harder for them to hide their five
o’clock shadows. Christina,
Britney and the rest of the gang are all anxious to see what the
future of pop holds.
One
of the hardest trends to forecast is what the next BIG music genre
will be. The easiest
one to predict is that the rest of the record labels will scramble
to get their own version out on the airwaves and on the shelves
once the bar is set.
According
to one studio executive, it may be wise to look back at music history.
Past boy band New Kids on the Block was followed up by such
acts Guns N’ Roses and music festivals like Lollapalooza.
While that dramatic shift may not bode well for today’s pop
stars, there are some examples of extended success.
Madonna
and Janet Jackson have remained teen favorites over the last two
decades by constantly reinventing themselves and their work. While Aerosmith is more rock than pop, they serve as another
example of a band that was open to change and continued to give
their fans, both young and old, songs they love.
It
is hard to tell if the boy bands will be able to do the same.
They have definitely changed their look and sound.
The July release of ‘N Sync’s latest album will be the ultimate
barometer for where music may be headed.
Will their new sound be seen as innovative or as a last-gasp
effort to hold onto their fans? The music industry itself is betting on the later and expecting
a new sound to come to the forefront.
The
multi-million dollar question is what that new sound will be and who
will be seen as the first to “have it.”
In the mean time, documentary producers are preparing for a
whole new slate of “Where Are They Now?” episodes for those acts that
disappear.
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