Purpose – This article examines whether a television brand placement warning cue can alter young children’s susceptibility for advertising effects (i.e., brand attitude) through activating their advertising literacy. The proposed model also puts forward an important moderating role for children’s skeptical attitude toward the brand placement format.
Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected among 63 children between 7 and 9 years old (Mage = 8.49; 51% girls) through a single factor (warning cue versus control condition) between-subject experimental design. The data were analyzed using mediation and moderated mediation techniques.
Findings – The results show that warning cues are effective in triggering young children’s advertising literacy. This activated advertising literacy, however, does not directly influences children’s brand attitude. Rather, its effect depends on the extent to which children evaluate the brand placement advertising tactic in a skeptical manner.
Practical implications – The findings suggest that academics should reckon with both children’s advertising literacy and their skeptical evaluation of advertising tactics when assessing the effect of brand placement disclosure, in order to avoid that warning cues are wrongfully dismissed as ineffective.
Social implications – This study responds to public and policy concerns about young children being persuaded via brand placement without their awareness, and recommends the use of warning cues as an effective intervention to make children process television brand placement more consciously.
Originality/value – This is the first study to investigate whether children’s advertising literacy for television brand placement can be triggered by a warning cue. This study also transcends the widespread assumption of a direct relationship between advertising literacy and a decrease in advertising effects, and highlights the moderating role of children’s skeptical attitude toward the format
