Marketing and all things related

Marketers think they know how to brand products for boomers. But tweens frighten marketers, because these young consumers are less brand conscious and more skeptical of advertising claims. So Toyota decided to start early by branding their somewhat whacky Scion model to a group of 8 to 15 year-olds who frequent an online community called Whyville.net. Toyota paid for product placement on the site in an effort to encourage kids to influence their parent’s attitude toward the car, and to plant the seed of brand loyalty. And according to The New York Times (free registration required,) site members readily adopted the Scion name in the online chats, purchased virtual Scions with virtual currency, and visited the online Club Scion over 33,000 times. Matthew Diamond of Alloy Media and Marketing calls this “early branding.” "You are branding your product at a relevant time to the young person. You're establishing that brand presence and positive association, since important buying decisions are forthcoming." While Toyota might be excited, Marketing Blurb believe tweens respond to brand messages all the time.