A recent Washington Post Metro section article entitled “Hannah Montana and Her ’Sisters'” chronicled Washington-area parental angst over the scarcity of $250-$300 tickets for the January concert tour of Disney-created tween sensation Hannah Montana, the 14 year-old every-girl who has a secret life as a pop star. Evidently the tickets were virtually unavailable moments after they officially went on sale - thanks to the sophisticated and legally questionable purchasing software of ticket brokers. Those “lucky” enough to find tickets had to pay between $250 and $2000 for the pleasure of being able to see the show.
The Post article pointed out that even Disney executives have been shocked by the success of “Hannah Montana” and its spinoffs. The show was launched in March 2006 and now boasts a daily average of 2.2 million viewers. Its tween-age demographic of 9 to 14 year olds is responsible for “$39 billion in buying power that comes from allowances and gifts from indulgent parents and grandparents. And because moms, more than ever, consult with them on anything from their favorite juice to shampoo, they influence family buying decisions for billions more.” Writer Annie Gowen posits that the extraordinary success of the show is being driven “less by passion of tweens and their open-wallet parents… and more by Disney's marketing machine, which cross-promotes its young stars through its TV channel, satellite radio broadcasts, movies, theme parks, merchandise, and concerts.”
Gowen's article points out some of the unintended consequences that exist at the intersection of ubiquitous marketing, affluence, a generation of assertive kids, and parental acquiescence. She quotes Susan Linn, Harvard psychologist and author of Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood, as stating, “Parents are being coerced into believing that kids should have adult experiences at younger and younger ages, like a concert like this and with this sort of celebrity… There is a feeling that their kids should never be disappointed. They're not thinking about what it says to a child to get a $2000 concert ticket.” Or even a $250 one.