CHILDREN AND YOUNGSTERS ADVERTISING LITERACY IN...
Transcript of CHILDREN AND YOUNGSTERS ADVERTISING LITERACY IN...
CHILDREN AND YOUNGSTERS’
ADVERTISING LITERACY IN A NEW
MEDIA ENVIRONMENT
Michel Walrave Cauberghe, Verolien
Hudders, Liselot
Overview
• Advertising literacy?
• Advertising literacy in Flanders
• Children and advergames
• Further research:
ADVERTISING LITERACY?
Past decades…
• Children’s and youngsters’ exposure to advertising increases:
• 25.000 ad messages / year
• Number increases
• Children/youngsters important target group:
• More money, more expenditures
• Impact on family purchases (indirect & ‘kidsfluence’, ‘pester power’)
• Importance of habits and brand preferences
• New media -> new advertising formats
Media use
New ad formats…
Consequence…
Blurred lines between’ creative’ advertising and ‘deception’
Video game or advertising?
1. Interactive 2. Integrated 3. Longer
New advertising formats
Result…
• New ad formats:
• Difficult to avoid (forced exposure)
• Difficult to recognize as advertising
Unconscious persuasion, especially for
inexperienced consumers (children & youngsters)!
Importance of advertising literacy in this new ad
environment
What is advertising literacy?
• Cognitive dimension:
• Recognition of advertising
• Understanding the persuasive intent of advertising
• Knowledge of the techniques that are used
• Affective dimension:
• Attitude regarding to the new ad formats
• Ethical dimension:
• How do consumers value the ad format? Is the format approvable?
Why is advertising literacy important?
• Helps consumers recognize how, when and why
advertisers are trying to persuade them
• Often described as a ‘radar’ which is activated when
people are aware of the persuasive intent of advertising
• Functions as a cognitive defense mechanism and helps
consumers to critically process ad messages
5 year 6-9 year 10-12 year 13-16 year
Advertising
recognition
Understanding
intent
Understanding
(misleading)
tactics
Processing
ads critically
“Ads are funny
shorter
programmes”
“Ads try to
make you buy
products”
How does AdLit evolve for e-
marketing?
“Ads try to
change your
attitude”
Children and advertising literacy
• Develops with age and ad/consumer experience
• Result:
• Ad lit not fully developed due to limited ad experience
• Not always capable of understanding persuasive intent
• More vulnerable and sensitive than adults!
Children and advertising literacy
• For new ad formats : • Integrated = hided
• Interactive= fun
• Personalized= less intrusive
• Also change of underlying intent: • Selling
• Sharing (creating buzz, liking, gather data)
• Gather personal data
What is the level of advertising literacy of children for these ad formats?
ADLIT IN FLANDERS
http://www.vlaanderen.be/nl/publicaties/detail/reclamewijsheid-bij-kinderen-
en-jongeren
Research method
Central research question:
How do children (4-12) and youngsters cope with new and
traditional ad formats?
What is their level of advertising literacy?
Research method:
Qualitative study with children (4-12 years)
30 in-depth interviews
9 focus groups
Quantitative study with youngsters (13-21 years)
503 youngsters
• Diverse schools in Flanders
Stimuli
Children
• 5-7 formats
Youngsters
• 5 formats
Questionnaire
• Adapted to children’s age
• Advertising literacy
• Recognition
• Knowledge of persuasive intent
• Attitude format
Results children
• 4-6 year olds
• 7-12 year olds
Ad format Ad Knowledge Critical attitude
30” ad Average – high Average
Collection action Low Low
PP Very low No opinion
AFP Very low Low
Advergame Low Very low
Ad format Ad Knowledge Critical attitude
30” ad High High
Collection action High High
PP Very low No opinion
AFP Average Average – high
Advergame Average – high Low
Infomercial Average Low
Banner Average Average
Results youngsters
• 13-16 year olds • 17-21 year olds
Ad format Ad Knowledge Critical attitude
Banner High High
Advergame High Low
PP Very low Very low
Mobile
marketing
Low Average
Social
Media
Average High
Ad format Ad Knowledge Critical attitude
Banner Very high Very high
Advergame High Average
PP Low Very low
Mobile
marketing
Average Average
Social
Media
Average Very high
Conclusion
Advertising literacy for children and youngsters
For traditional ad formats: moderate to low advertising literacy
For new ad formats low => no critical consumers
Evolution of advertising literacy according to age
Improve children and youngsters’ ad lit
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY Children & advergames
Study 1: 30’-spot vs. advergame
Level of Advertising Literacy?
Impact of adlit training session?
Method
• Experimental design
• 2 x 2 between subjects – brand Paula pudding:
• IV: format x ad lit session
• DV: Cognitive and affective adlit
• Sample: 78 children (8-9 years)
AFFECTIVE
ADVERTISING
LITERACY
COGNITIVE
ADVERTISING
LITERACY a1= -.33Ϯ
a2= -1.54***
AD FORMAT
TV= 0, Game= 1
Study 1 - Results
Ϯ < .10; *<.05; **<.01; ***<.001
Study 1 - Results
Study 2: AFP vs. advergame
Level of Advertising Literacy?
Method
• Experimental design
• AFP vs. Advergame
• Same brand, the ‘Efteling’
• Same exposure time (3 minutes)
• DV: Cognitive and affective adlit
• Sample: 133 children (7-9 years old)
Results study 2
t(131) = 3.36, p = .001
1,82 1,88
0
1
2
3
AFP Advergame
Cognitive ad lit
t(130) = -.31, p = .76
2,57
1,89
1
2
3
4
5
AFP Advergame
Affective ad lit
Study 3: Impact of age?
• Focus on advergames
• Seven versus nine year olds
Method
• Experimental design
• 2 x 2 between subjects – brand Paula pudding
• IV: ad lit session x age
• DV: Cognitive and affective ad lit
• Sample: 82 children (age seven: N=51, age nine: N=31)
AGE
Seven= 0, Nine= 1
AFFECTIVE
ADVERTISING
LITERACY
COGNITIVE
ADVERTISING
LITERACY a1= -.22
a2= .40*
Study 3 - Results
FURTHER RESEARCH
AdLit
Stakeholders Stakeholders
Societal
Organizations
Gezinsbond
Kinderrechtencommissariaat
Linc vzw
Uit de Marge!
Child Focus
Kenniscentrum Mediawijsheid *
Vigez
Centrum voor Schuldenlasten *
Jong vzw
Tonuso vzw
Mediaraven
TestAankoop
Ambrassade
Educational Field
Gemeenschapsonderwijs GO! –
Pedagogische begeleidingsdienst GO!
Stad Gent pedagogische
begeleidingsdienst
Pedagogische begeleidingsdienst
katholiek onderwijs
Provinciaal Onderwijs
Klasse
Departement Onderwijs –AKOV
CANON Cultuurcel
Vlaamse Uitgeverijen Vereniging
Technopolis
Stakeholders
Policy Makers
Departement Cultuur, Media, Jeugd en
Sport (CMJS)
Commissie voor de bescherming van de
persoonlijke levenssfeer (CBPL)
Jury voor Ethische Praktijken inzake
reclame & Raad voor Reclame
Vlaamse Regulator voor Media
FOD Economie
Advertising
Industry & Media
Sector
Association for Communication
Companies
BeCommerce
FeWeb
VRT
IAB Belgium and IAB Europe
Unie Belgische Adverteerders
Studio 100
Nickelodeon and MTV Networks
Vlaamse nieuwsmedia
VMMa (KZoom, JIMtv, TMF)
LVD/ ACC
Playlane
Incepti
Bazookas
Bits-of-Love
MiX
Positioning AdLit
Current level of AdLit ?
Cues for activating AdLit
Development and testing of awareness campaigns
Different target groups
UN, Children’s rights and
business principles,
2013
Overview valorisation output
• M12: One pager with recommendations on integration ad lit in curriculum
• M14: Method booklet how to do research with children
• M18: White paper with design guidelines for educational programs
• M24: Extended technical brochure with risk analysis
• M26: Awareness brochure about new advertising formats
• M36: Technical development of advertising cue
• M36: Extended technical brochure on advertising cue
• M36 Legal vademecum for parents and minors
• M38: Awareness brochure on advertising cues
• M40: Legal vademecum for advertising industry
• M46: Workshops on new advertising formats
• M47: Two educational programs
• M47: White paper with policy guidelines
• M48: Guidelines for different awareness campaigns
• M48: Closing event