Developmental differences in Chinese children’s perception of child-related TV advertising

This study applied Piaget’s stage theory and explored developmental differences in Chinese children’s perception of child-related TV advertising (CRTA). Preoperational children were found to like CRTA more, to be more likely to enjoy viewing the perceptual stimuli of CRTA (e.g., product, imagery and music), and to have a lesser understanding of its selling intent. Preoperational children were also more likely to link their affinity with CRTA to their affinity with the product manufacturer. This study added two more dimensions to the existing five dimensions of children’s comprehension of advertising identified before: the ability to differentiate between commercials and products; and the ability to discriminate between commercials and product manufacturers.