Advertising and Teenagers: Understanding How High School Students Evaluate Television Commercials

Abstract

Advertising to children has been a contentious subject for many years. Debates have raged over whether children possess the cognitive abilities to understand advertising?s intent, whether or not children are exposed to too many advertisements, and whether advertisers should be allowed to market directly to children at all. These debates and questions grow even more heated when advertisers enter schools. Schools, the bastions of a democratic society, have been traditionally viewed as places where children are able to grow, learn, and explore the world, free from outside interference. The frequency and types of advertising in schools in the United States have been increasing tremendously since the 1980s. There are several reasons for this, including a demand for improved school performances and, at the same time, shrinking financial support for schools. Many schools are forced to partner with corporations and advertisers in order to bring in necessary revenue. The consequences of in-school advertising are hotly debated, but this comparative analysis of existing research suggests that the ads do have some impact on students, mainly in the area of purchase intentions. To what extent in-school advertising affects actual purchases is still unclear.