Children's Preferences of Selected Print Appeals

The study here investigated the relationship between selected print appeals (as defined by the social situation portrayed in the advertisement) and their relative preferences among children at the ages of five, eight, and eleven. These relationships were tested through a field experiment involving a total of 120 children. Results indicated that when the factors of age, sex, and type of ad are simultaneously considered, the results become complex and dependent upon specific levels within each factor. That is, the preference for social situations portrayed in ads was not the same for all age groupings and was dependent on the sex of the subject within given age groupings.