Teenage dilemma: Bombarded by brands

The brand consciousness of Generation Y has a downside.

Have you ever obsessed over buying a Gucci dress? Do you think owning an iPhone 5 will make you seem ‘cooler’? Does the name on the label influence your decision to purchase? In short, do designer brands matter to you? If yes, then you’re not alone.

Today’s youth is more brand conscious than ever and people showing off about their latest Nikon camera and Accessorize jewellery on Facebook just fuels popular desire for stacking up these designer goodies.

For teenagers to yearn for ‘cool’ clothes and gadgets is hardly a new phenomenon. The phase of adolescence is a time for personality formation and is usually overpowered by the need for self-expression. And what better way for teens to express themselves than by buying expensive branded products which gorgeous models and well-known celebrities sport in glossy ads?

Adolescents are obviously very impressionable. It takes just one slick commercial for them to believe that they can get Cindy Crawford’s confidence or Federer’s agility by buying the products these celebrities endorse.

And if the peer pressure to don branded items isn’t already huge, youngsters are now constantly bombarded with marketing campaigns competing to appeal to their sensibilities. Countless companies are going out of their way to target teenagers, because the latter comprise a very lucrative market. They are are constantly aligning their products’ image with effervescent personalities and bubbly attitudes of young customers. For instance, one look at the youthful models of globally renowned brands like Levis, and you know what the target market for these brands is!

And due to the massive popularity of social networking sites, companies now have to work even harder to please their young customers, and have adopted innovative marketing strategies to impress their clientele.

But in today’s information age, is this ultra awareness about brands good? Gone are the days when teens would bug their parents for a pair of Nike joggers; now they want exorbitant gizmos. And what’s more disturbing is that juvenile customers, who have barely entered their teens, also want their own iPads and fancy cell phones and are quick to point fingers at their classmates who don’t have the luxury of affording these gadgets. Youngsters of today would not even dare take an old Nokia set or an mp3 player to school, simply for the fear of being laughed at.

It seems like Generation Y does not only want the luxuries of life, it will also exclude those who don’t have it. Thus, this brand consciousness in has a real downside. Instead of focusing on the utility of the things purchased, young people are merely concerned about selecting hip and happening brand names.

But you can change this silly trend. The next time you’re making a decision to buy a product of a well-known brand, make sure that you are aware of its utility before selecting it. Pick the brands that best represent your personality, but make sure that you buy something that’s just not good enough to show off in front of your friends!

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2011.