Related Topic Projects

Youth Marketing

posted 02/24/08 by Rick Webb

Kids buy stuff. We’re all sort of uncomfortable with it. But we all bought stuff when we were kids, and we all loved brands.
We entered advertising through the world of the internet, forged upon upbringings as consumers who grew up in a complex brand world, and loved brands, and understood how they related to us as youths. It pains us to admit the executive leadership of this company is in it’s 30’s now, by and large, but the company’s culture is as youthful as ever, and our staff and creatives are as tapped into youth culture as anywhere you’ll ever find.
And, of course, one must wrestle with the morality of youth marketing. We view this with an eye toward three factors:
First, of course, the law. There are laws around marketing to the youth market, and we are dedicated, constantly, to making sure we’re aware of them, and in compliance with them.
Next most importantly, though, are the taboos, mores, and ethics of online marketing. The market is a prickly one, and their morality is not, by and large, ill-placed. Something may be legal, but it may not sit well with your target market or their parents, and crossing that line will carry a price.
But more than both of these, however, we believe in doing what is right. Principles. Don’t be sleezy. Don’t be sketchy, and don’t take advantage of their youth. Don’t lose your moral compass, and don’t be afraid to speak up when something doesn’t sit well. You’re usually not wrong.

Here are some recent posts from our employees about Youth Marketing:

The Dead End of Western Civilization?

posted by Ryan McManus
Ryan McManus
Ryan McManus

Art Director : New York

topics: Art, Rock and Roll, Creativity, Strategy, and Internet Culture

 on August 01, 2008 at 01:47 PM
filed under: Youth Marketing
Man, talk about Kettle:Blackism.
A bit of a dustup recently about this article on Hipsterism by the normally moderate and reserved Adbusters:
An artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning. Not only is it unsustainable, it is suicidal. While previous youth movements have challenged the dysfunction and decadence of their elders, today we have the “hipster” – a youth subculture that mirrors the doomed shallowness of mainstream society.
Wow, so hipsters are going to end culture, hmm? We’re all going to hell in a track bike basket?
It’s called Fin De Siécle, boys. Read a friggin’ book.
(via brooklynvegan)
(image from flickr)
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there can only be one.

posted by Sam Weerakoon
Sam Weerakoon
Sam Weerakoon

Finance Assistant : Boston

topics: Social Networking and Community, Boston, Photography, Entertainment, and Entrepreneurship

 on April 29, 2008 at 06:52 PM
filed under: Youth Marketing
i’m an unabashed basketball fan. it’s my thing, my vice, i suppose. and i’ve really got to hand it to the agency who did the latest crop of playoff ads – they are quite possibly my favorite sports campaign in awhile, thanks to the duo of jonathan dayton and valerie faris (directors of little miss sunshine).
check this out.
everything, from the music choice to the pairings to the copy, is pretty much flawless in my eyes. but then again, i could be biased because i love the sport. but to me, it reveals a lot of the character and drive that i really love. also, it was really wise of the nba to put all of them up, because after the initial shock of saying “what on earth?!” i totally wanted to see more.
kudos, nba. kudos, agency. kudos, directors.
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The End of Advertising, and Why We Should Celebrate.

posted by Ryan McManus
Ryan McManus
Ryan McManus

Art Director : New York

topics: Internet Culture, Photography, Art, Art Direction, and Apparel and Footwear

 on April 23, 2008 at 12:07 PM
filed under: Youth Marketing
So since I’ve come to TBG
Barbarian History
Barbarian History

Let’s give you a little background on who we are, ...

, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about the state and future of advertising, and all paths of thought have led me to a singular conclusion: The Internet will be the end of Advertising. As we know it. And we should be glad.
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Sex, Science, and Kids' Toys

posted by Rick Webb
Rick Webb
Rick Webb

Co-founder, COO : Boston

topics: The Networks and the Internet, User Experience, Agency Collaboration, Alcoholic Beverages, and Internet Culture

 on September 05, 2006 at 01:30 PM
filed under: Youth Marketing

N.B. This post was from the last version of our site

Science, as we all know, can only be used for good or evil. But in the case of Axe cologne, we learned that science can also be used for the purposes of sexiness. This amazing discovery was made while we were making the Axe Lab site with the awesome people over at BBH and C-TRL Labs. If you’d like to know more about the sciences of mind control and stimulation, or just see a very nice site, check out Axe Lab.

In non-science news, we recently launched a site for Lego’s line of Bionicle toys with Curtis Birch and On Board Entertainment. Free The Band follows the story of the mysterious disappearance of popularly hairstyled band All-American Rejects and the involvement of the evil Piraka. Our Lego hats are off to usual suspects like Sean Drinkwater and Mike Ma.

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Sidekicks and sweet Boards

posted by Rick Webb
Rick Webb
Rick Webb

Co-founder, COO : Boston

topics: User Experience, Strategy, Barbarian History, The Internet, and Agency Collaboration

 on August 10, 2006 at 01:29 PM
filed under: Youth Marketing

N.B. This post was from the last version of our site

Telephones and the sites that advertise them have changed significantly over the past 150 years. For example, phones are no longer made of fire. Another good example of this is the excellent new site we did with Publicis West for the Sidekick 3. Have a look and enjoy the fine music and illustrations from awesomely talented people like Sean Drinkwater, Geoff Lillemon, and the folks at I Love Dust.

In other news, 'boards magazine put us on something called The It List. From what we understand, it’s a really good list to be on. Thanks for including us, 'boards.

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New Sites, New People, New Jobs

posted by Rick Webb
Rick Webb
Rick Webb

Co-founder, COO : Boston

topics: The Networks and the Internet, Strategy, Search, Internet Culture, and Internet Video

 on September 18, 2005 at 06:51 PM
filed under: Youth Marketing

N.B. This post was from the last version of our site

IT IS TIME TO GET YER MEATINS ON. That’s right. Ironic use of the browser shake. You know you love it. We’re not gonna tell you much about this just yet, you have to go dig. But we WILL say we did it with Mullen and those guys are pretty cool

The Birtney Spears Fantasy site is now fully live, and doing a good amount of traffic, coincidentally. Props to Elizabeth Arden and Goodby for the change of pace.

Oh, also, I don’t think I ever showed you the Virgin Mobile Parental Enlightenment Kit. We made this with Mother New York. It’s really funny. You’ll like it.

We’d also like to let you know that we’ve refreshed our job postings, and give a big shout out welcome to Liz Whittaker, our new Senior Producer, who starts this Monday. Liz is an old friend of many of us from our Arnold days, and it’s been a dream of ours to make her a Barbarian for years. This was the third time we tried to hire her, and bless her heart, she finally said yes. Maybe this means she thinks we might actually stay in business now.

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