Sugar and Sports: Age Differences in Children’s Responses to a High Sugar Cereal Advertisement Portraying Physical Activities

This study experimentally investigated whether exposing children to a television advertisement for a high sugar cereal that depicts physical activities influences their perceptions of the promoted food and activities differently than exposure to an advertisement for the same product without the depi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication research 2019-07, Vol.46 (5), p.579-596
Main Author: Castonguay, Jessica
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advertisements
Age differences
Cereals
Children & youth
Exercise
Exposure
Food
Marketing
Perceptions
Sugar
Target markets
Television advertising
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Summary:This study experimentally investigated whether exposing children to a television advertisement for a high sugar cereal that depicts physical activities influences their perceptions of the promoted food and activities differently than exposure to an advertisement for the same product without the depiction of physical activities. Children aged 5 to 6 and 10 to 11 years (N = 136) were compared to reveal age differences in responses to this marketing practice. Exposure to the advertisement depicting physical activities had an immediate strengthening effect on all children’s perceptions of the food’s healthfulness as well as younger children’s attitudes toward the product. The ability to recognize juxtaposed beliefs regarding a product’s healthfulness protected children from some of the influence of this marketing strategy.
ISSN:0093-6502
1552-3810
DOI:10.1177/0093650215587357