BRANDED - The buying and selling of teenagers A. Quart

Indeed, US schools have long since been sponsored by corporations but what Quart fears is that the current growth of corporate sponsorship in UK schools, if continued at the present rate, makes it increasingly likely that in a few years time there will be little difference between them. Despite the fact that, as recently as 1996, parents and politicians fiercely resisted the idea of advertising in schools, corporations have taken advantage of a recent initiative that saw businesses partnering-up with "under performing" schools. Since then, according to Quart, the doors have opened for branded school supplies and--given the ingenuity and determination of corporate strategists and the naïveté of the educational authorities--the corporate insinuation into our children's minds begins as soon as they leave mother's apron strings.

The heart of the book is very interesting indeed, describing as it does the actual tactics employed by the youth marketing industry and the required mindset necessary to be among the best employees. For instance, at the 2003 Kid Power event in London, conference organisers instructed attendees in how to harness "the power of word of mouth", how to ensure their products are "the talk of the playground", how to get past the "gatekeeper" (Mum and Dad), and to be aware of the influence of "pester power". The marketers wear the clothes of youth, befriend the kids as part of their job, milk them for information on what's hot and what's not and generally get the jump on their competitors by encouraging brand loyalty from as early an age as possible. The book is laced with the views of the teens and 'tweens' themselves as well as personal recollections of Quart's own tween years to add historical perspective.

Did you know you're being brainwashed? Corporations spend billions of dollars annually to woo teen and pre-teen consumers, but today's efforts to control young minds and wattles take marketing strategies to a dangerous new level. Alissa Quart's incisive expose takes the reader to the dark side of teen marketing, revealing an aggressive and disturbing world in which adults build careers out in insinuating themselves into 'friendships' with young people in order to monitor what they wear, eat, listen to, and talk about with each other. From the 20-somethings who walk the streets looking for 'teen cool' to the marketing teams behind the scenes in the corporate effort to 'sponsor' schools, Quart introduces us to the most threatening of these initiatives. This compelling book discovers how teens succumb to content commercial battering designed to reduce their individuality and creativity, the effects on targeted messages on emerging teen identities and how they are subtly taught to market to each other. But we also witness the bravery of isolated young people who fight back, turning the tables on the cocksure mega-corporations striving to crack the codes of 'teen cool'.

with a note onhe first page