End-User Experience: Tweens Lifestage

It took Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the commonly-cited “Tween” dynamic duo, nearly two decades to reach billionaire status. First came “Full House,” then small-time movies, then merchandising, and finally, big-screen fame – with the paparazzi, fashion businesses, shortlist spottings, and all. The public was amazed at the twins’ ability to continue, and expand, their fortune and appeal, even as they began to outgrow their cutesy beginnings, and original target audiences.
Somehow Miley Cyrus has managed to trump the success of the Olsens in a mere two years. With a #1 rated TV show (Hannah Montana), three chart-topping musical albums, and a feature film that, in only a few weeks grossed $65 million – not to mention a $65 million grossing, 70-city concert tour, which sold out in a matter of days – it is a wonder that the girl has time to breathe. By the end of this year, Hannah Montana merchandise is expected to gross over a billion dollars for Disney, giving Miley a considerable edge over the twins.
To what does she owe her quick success? Her persona has filled the “idol” gap in the tween market more quickly and comprehensively than anyone before her. The tween life stage, a transitional phase between the traditional childhood and teenage years, is a critical period of psychological and development. Between the ages of 8 to 12, or arguably today, even 6 to 11, girls’ and boys’ spheres of influence increasingly expand, in proportion and priority, beyond parents, family, and home, into the social world – school, sports, popular culture. Negotiating the flux between these two worlds is a key part of how they begin to explore and define their identities.
Hannah Montana is a show with spunk and wit, yet one that does not sacrifice the family values which parents appreciate. With music inspired by the show, as well as her own work, Miley’s role as Hannah Montana has created a most facile vehicle for navigating the transition not only from TV and film to music, but from child to tween to teenager, and, most likely, into adult. On the show, she plays Miley, a 15-year old middle school student by day, and Hannah, a famous pop star by night. Her clean-cut image with a trendy twist is exceptionally appealing to the older tween crowd, while her catchy pop tunes and early Britney-esque freshness resonate well with the younger in the set. Moreover, Hannah Montana speaks to the little sisters while Miley herself is more relevant to their older siblings.
Whether Hannah and Miley, the Olsens, or someone new, it seems the need and market for speaking to the tween psyche is not only enduring – but lucrative as well. Even as the stars themselves age-out of the scene, their images and values can have the power to transcend. And the next tween idol may well already be waiting in the wings.