Advertising's impact on pre‐schoolers’ brand knowledge and materialism

Abstract

This article addresses the question of whether brand knowledge gained from exposure to television advertising leads to the early development of materialistic values in pre‐school children. Understanding how children develop symbolic meanings associated with brands is an important step in explaining how they come to value material possessions, a relationship that has long term impacts on their well‐being. To understand this process, this study focused on the relationship between pre‐schoolers’ television advertising exposure, the mediating variable of brand knowledge (measured as brand recognition and brand symbolism), and the development of a materialistic orientation. A sample of 73 parent/child (aged 2–5 years) dyads were interviewed. Partial least squares regression analysis shows that increased exposure to advertising is linked to the development of brand recognition and brand symbolism in pre‐school children. Brand knowledge, in turn, shows a positive but not significant relationship with a materialistic value orientation. The study demonstrates the important mediating role that brand knowledge plays in the relationship between advertising and the development of materialistic tendencies in pre‐school children. Results suggest that brand recognition and symbolism starts in early childhood and that this brand knowledge may play a role in the development of materialistic tendencies. Given recent concerns over increased targeting of marketing messages to children in multiple new media forms, understanding more about the relationship between advertising exposure, brand knowledge and materialism is important in informing the discussion about the impact of marketing on children's well‐being.

Priming skepticism: Unintended consequences of one‐sided persuasion knowledge access

“…People see hundreds of persuasive marketing messages every day—everything from traditional television advertisements to sponsored social media posts (Committee on Communications, ; Hill Holliday, ; Raab, ). This persistent exposure to persuasive messages has been linked to a variety of negative effects, including an increase in the consumption of unhealthy foods (e.g., Gilbert‐Diamond et al, ), a decrease in perceived self‐worth (e.g., Van de Sompel & Vermier, ), and an increase in materialistic tendencies (Watkins, Aitken, Robertson, Thyne, & Williams, ). However, frequent exposure to commercial persuasion can also lead to more adaptive outcomes, including greater knowledge and understanding about how marketing tactics work and thus a more sophisticated ability to cope with persuasion attempts (e.g., Boush, Friestad, & Rose, ).…”

Study of the consumers of ready-to-drink juices and fruit nectars

“…The brand is still considered an indicator of quality, especially for those consumers who have not tasted the product. For Watkins et al (2016) a brand is regarded as more than a name given to a product; it encompasses a whole set of physical and socio-psychological attributes, emotions and beliefs, and it is often these symbolic meanings of consumer goods and brands that consumers use to build and maintain their identity.…”

Assessing Levels of Brand Recognition by Children Aged 3 to 5 Years

“…Consequently children learn to relate to brand names at an early age, recognizing brand names in different communication places. It is assumed that brand recognition may play a role in the development of materialistic tendencies and the way they value material possessions [11].…”