The impact of advertising messages on school children through age, branded products and trust

Abstract

Advertising towards children confirms the importance of marketing communication, as they are important for companies that offer a range of products and services. We study the influence of advertising messages from traditional media on different children's age groups, via the observed branded products and the examined credibility of advertisements, seen through the children's eyes. In total, 481 pupils from two primary schools, aged 9 - 12, participated in the research. We find that children over the age of ten recognise the persuasive influence of the media. Also, the findings indicate that the number of children who like to follow advertisements decreases with age. In addition, comparing the advertising message and real life can lead a child to overall dissatisfaction. An optimistic 75% of the answers favour the fact that children do not believe everything shown in the advertisement forwarded to them.