115: Reducing the Impact of Advertising to Children

We're almost (but not quite!) at the end of our lengthy series on the intersection of money and parenting.  Most recently, we talked with Dr. Allison Pugh to try to understand the answer to the question "Given that advertising is happening, how do parents and children respond?"   In this episode we take a step back by asking "what about that advertising?" with Dr. Esther Rozendaal of Radboud University in the Netherlands whose research focuses on children's understanding of advertising messages.  Can children understand that advertising is different from regular TV programming?  At what age do they realize an advertisement is an attempt to sell them something? And what should parents do to reduce the impact of advertising on children?  It's all here in this episode.   Other episodes in this series This episode is the first in a series on the intersection of parenting and money. You can find other episodes in this series: 038: The Opposite of Spoiled 105: How to pass on mental wealth to your child 107: The impact of consumerism on children 112: How to Set up a Play Room 118: Are You Raising Materialistic Kids?   Jump to highlights 00:03 Introduction to Dr. Esther Rozendaal, expert on children's advertising literacy 02:57 How advertising works: awareness, liking, then the request to buy 08:17 Integrated advertising and how it slips past our defenses without us noticing 14:51 How advertising recognition develops with age, starting around age five 19:19 Why preschoolers can't really grasp the concept of advertising yet 26:06 Why schools default to teaching knowledge instead of self-control 29:40 Early work using mindfulness techniques to help kids notice their own reactions 33:15 Are children helpless targets or savvy consumers? The research says both, depending on context 41:38 The surprising downside of ad warning labels - they can boost brand liking instead 50:16 The difference between telling kids what to think and helping them find their own answer   References: Brown, C.L., Matherne, C.E., Bulik, C.M., Howard, J.B., Ravanbakht, S.B., Skinner, A.C., Wood, C.T., Bardone-Cone, A.M., Brown, J.D., Perrin, A.J., Levine, C., Steiner, M.J., & Perrin, E.M. (2017). Influence of product placement in children’s movies on children’s snack choices. Appetite 114, 118-124.

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De Jans, S., Hudders, L., & Cauberghe, V. (2017). Advertising literacy training: The immediate versus delayed effects on children’s responses to product placement. European Journal of Marketing 51(11-12), 2156-2174.

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De Jans, S., van de Sompel, D., Hudders, L., & Cauberghe, V. (2019). Advertising targeting young children: An overview of 10 years of research (2006-2016). International Journal of Advertising 38(2), 173-206.

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DePauw, P. (2018). A multiperspective inquiry into children’s abilities to critically process contemporary advertising. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ghent University, Belgium. Retrieved from https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8571901/file/8571904.pdf

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Nairn, A., & Spotswood, F. (2013). “Obviously in the cool group they wear designer things:” A social practice theory perspective on children’s consumption. European Journal of Marketing 49(9/10), 1460-1483.

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Ritson, M., & Elliott, R. (1999). The social uses of advertising: An ethnographic study of adolescent advertising audiences. Journal of Consumer Research 26(3), 260-277.

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Rozendaal, E., Buijs, L., & van Reijmersdal, E.A. (2016). Strengthening children’s advertising defenses: the effects of forewarning of commercial and manipulative intent. Frontiers in Psychology 7, 1186.

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Rozendaal, E., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P.M. (2012). Think-aloud process superior to thought-listing in increasing children’s critical processing of advertising. Human Communication Research 38, 199-221.

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Rozendaal, E., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2011). Children’s understanding of advertisers’ persuasive tactics. International Journal of Advertising 30(2), 329-350.

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Rozendaal, E., Lapierre, M.A., van Reijmersdal, E.A., & Buijzen, M. (2011). Reconsidering advertising literacy as a defense against advertising effects. Media Psychology 14, 333-354.

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Rozendaal, E., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2009). Do children’s cognitive advertising defenses reduce their desire for advertised products? Communications 34, 287-303.

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Shrum, L.J., Lowrey, T.M., Pandelaere, M., Ruvio, A.A., Gentinka, E., Furcheim, P., Herbert, M., Hudders, L., Lens, I., Mandel, N., Nairn, A., Samper, A. Soscia, I., & Steinfeld, L. (2014). Materialism: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Journal of Marketing Management 39(17-18), 1858-1881.

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Spotswood, F., & Nairn, A. (2016). Children as vulnerable consumers: A first conceptualization. Journal of Marketing Management 32(3-4), 211-229.

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Vanwesenbeeck, I., Ponnet, K., & Walrave, M. (2016). Go with the flow: How children’s persuasion knowledge is associated with their state of flow and emotions during advergame play. Journal of Consumer Behavior 15(1), 38-47.

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Verdoodt, V., Clifford, D., & Lievens, E. (2016). Toying with children’s emotions, the new game in town? The legality of advergames in the EU. Computer Law & Security Review 32(4), 599-614.