At What Age and How Does Understanding of Product Placement Develop?

摘要

Marketers have adopted some subtle forms of marketing communication targeted at chil-dren, including product placement, sponsor-ship, event marketing and internet advertis-ing. This study investigates how well children understand product placement, in relation to their ages and other potential drivers of understanding. Findings from two empirical studies suggest that children already have some knowledge of product placement at the age of 10 years (recognition of an external source, pereeption of a target audience, iden-tification of its symbolic nature) but are largely unable to retrieve that knowledge. The ability to fully understand the intentions of product placement becomes Consolidated around the age of 12 years. The education levels of the parents and the existence of siblings affect some dimensions of children's understanding of product placement too.