We all know that teenagers love their brands. IPod, NorthFace, Burton, Oakley, American Eagle and others enjoy an strong emotional bond with teens.  Bring home a Zune versus a IPod and you may find yourself headed back to the store to return it - bad economy or not. It’s not that Zune’s don’t work, they just aren’t cool.  And, no teenager can stand that.

If you are one of the lucky or smart brands that have established this emotional connection with teens, you are in an enviable position today. And, if properly managed through these difficult times, a potentially stronger one in the future.

If you are not one of these emotionally connected brands, your work is cut out for you.

Lets’ face it, mom is still a key decsion maker when it comes to the products our kids use.  And, no one is feeling the day to day stress of the economy more than mom is.  As a result, unless a teenager is going to go down kicking and screaming for a particular brand, mom is going to seek bargains. She’ll buy less expensive brands at less expensive stores. Mom may not give up buying her teens what they need, but she will sacrifice brands if they let her.

Case in point. My daughter turns 19 on March 19th. On the agenda, the traditional (unbranded) birthday cake and dinner out with family and friends albeit at a less expensive restaurant than years past.  Among the too many presents she’ll receive is a pair of New Balance casual shoes that cost $49.  Why did her mother opt for New Balance rather than the $129 Nikes she may have purchased in prior years? To save money, of course.  But also because she could.  You see, my daughter is not in love with Nike or any other particular shoe brand, at least not right now.  She hasn’t established an emotional bond.  As a result, she is driven more by comfort, color and style.  Not any old brand will do, but New Balance is part of a pool of brands she finds acceptable in this category.

On the other hand, if I bought my teenage son Columbia rather than NorthFace, I’d be spending $5 bucks in gas to go back to the store to return it. In fact, he bought his most recent NorthFace himself. And, one for his girlfriend while he was at it. He has a job and apparently more disposable income than I do. I’m looking forward to getting his hand-me-down Oakley sunglasses in another year or two, perhaps before my $12 ”no-names” break.

Is your brand one that teens will kick and scream (or spend their own money) to have ?

Do you have the right emotional connections with your customers and are you maximizing the value of that bond? Or, have you been relegated to cutting price to meet short term goals?  Times like these provide a great opportunity to take advantage of the competition and raise the perceptions of your brand among key constituents.

Cutting price may have the desired short term impact, but what will it do to the long-term value of your brand? Are there potentially fatal repercussions?