Teens and tweens are being taken advantage of in many ways by the market, they are a companies first target. Ads appear in magazines and posters around the mall, looking for teens who want their products in return for the teens input on what they think is “in”. These teens that are chosen dedicate many hours of their time to be “insiders” or trend spotters for these companies. These teens are willing to this for the companies because the company builds a close relationship with them. According to Quart; they even go to the “insiders” school and sporting events. These companies leave out the fine print that states; “Research results may be used for marketing purposes and advertisers”. They are blind to see that they work for these companies for no pay, rather just for products that they wear to show off. Than their peers see them wearing a certain brand they are showing off for these companies, and they want what they see. They want to be trend spotters and they want their peers to look up to them. If they were informed about what goes on when they are not looking it probably wouldn’t stop them from working for these companies.
Teens are the most powerful sector of the market because they get what they want. Most of the youth does not have their own source of income, therefore they spend without hesitation. They want what’s in and what everyone else is wearing. They look at their older peers and favorite celebrities, and they want what they have. It will never stop; teens will beg for what’s “in” and most parents will give in and let them have what they want. Some parents willingly give their kids what’s popular just for the security of knowing their child will not be left out. These parents should be informed on these marketing scams and limit their kids spending.
I remember a friend of mine always going to meetings and model groups. A few times she was in model shows of some sort, and I’m pretty sure it was for JcPenny. She always got to keep the clothes! After reading the chapter “The Teen Consultants” in the book Branded, I realized she was probably a trend spotter herself! I had never put much thought into it until now; it’s crazy to think that I had no idea of what was really going on. Like any other teen I wanted to do what she was doing, even if I had no exact idea of just what she was doing, it sounded good to me!

Intro letter!

Dear fellow classmates,

My name is Rhiannon and I am named after a Fleetwood Mac song. To start off I’d like to let everyone know why I am enrolled in college and what my plans are for the future. I am currently at Missouri Western to complete pre-requisites before I attempt to get accepted at UMKC and get into the dental hygiene program. It’s always been my dream to be an orthodontist but with the lack of patience I decided to go with something I could reach a little bit quicker. I am still adjusting to the whole college thing and I really don’t know what to say or think about it. I like to play everything by ear and wait and see what happens.
Outside of school I like to stay busy, I have always stayed busy with work, school, and sports. I currently work two jobs and go to school full time, I have a lot on my plate and no time for sports anymore. In my free time I like to hang out and play x-box with my friends and just relax. When I find time off both work and school I like to take a road trip or go on vacation, even if it’s just to Branson. I love to travel with my boyfriend of 6 years and our next destination is Jamaica!
I look forward to working with all of you and our instructor Amy this semester. I wish you all the best of luck and I hope we all can reach our goal one day.



Your classmate,
Rhiannon Corkins