Status of US brands slips globally among teens

It helps to have an ear for "global teen" values, some of which extend across cultures, according to the GenWorld study.

"[The Adidas slogan] 'Impossible is Nothing' resonates with this generation almost like no other campaign that I've seen," says Walker, who calls global teens engaged, optimistic, and connected.

Product details matter. Nokia has held sway over American rival Motorola, he says, because of their emphasis on cellphone design. Motorola, however, has focused on internal engineering.

Politics, too, can play a role. Many teens abroad are developing a "new nationalism," says Ms. Brown. American brands used to carry edgy cultural cachet, she says. Today, "teens around the world have become disenchanted with the mythological portrayal of American youth." Sometimes that nationalism finds an outlet in satire and humor at America's expense. "It's been very easy to spoof America in the past few years," Brown says.

Others say that disenchantment could have a dire economic effect. "America has taken some very unpopular positions on the [Iraq] war and the environment," says Irma Zandl, principal of Zandl Group, a marketing consultancy. "American brands are starting to suffer as people vote at the cash register," she writes in an e-mail.

Ms. Zandl points out that a number of leading-edge brands, such as Apple, even take care to point out that their products (such as iPod) are designed, if not made, in California, versus the US at large - a move she reads as a kind of separation.

Still, not all experts see country of origin as an issue with teens. Some doubt whether many US teens could name Adidas's home base. Marian Salzman, author of the 2003 book "Buzz," points out that teens outside the US have "effectively localized" the US brands they like.

"I don't think there are any concerns on the part of teens as to where stuff comes from," says Jim Taylor, vice chairman of the Harrison Group, a marketing agency. He has worked with the trend-watcher firm Intellisponse on its annual surveys of what (primarily US) teens want.

"Kids don't necessarily [even] sort out the difference between store brands and product brands," says Mr. Taylor, pointing to the rise of Hollister, a store brand in apparel that has surged of late.

For today's teens, he says, online buzz is king, and peers hold the most sway. "What applies to young people is 'Did it break? And did my friends say it was cool?' [It's an] opinion process that goes on through IMs and text-messaging, and it applies to everything from movies to cargo pants."

Page: 1 | 2