New mobile advertising formats targeting young audiences: an analysis of advertainment and influencers' role in perception and understanding

Over the past two decades, brand communication strategies targeting young audiences have dramatically shifted. Advertainment, which blends advertising and entertainment content, often featuring influencers, has become prevalent, primarily consumed through mobile phones. This poses a significant challenge for consumer protection, as it obscures the line between content and commercial messaging, making it difficult for minors to identify advertising intent. The pervasive use of mobile devices and their capacity for targeted advertising creates considerable commercial opportunities, but ethical concerns about their impact on young people are rising. Minors tend to view influencer-associated advertising favorably, enhancing its appeal to brands, yet this popularity carries risks: difficulty recognizing commercial intent, insufficient regulatory disclosures, and excessive trust in digital content creators. This study addresses a gap in the literature by examining how to enhance advertising literacy among Spanish minors regarding mobile advertainment and influencer-driven content, considering the substantial growth of influencer marketing in Spain. The study aims to explore minors' understanding and awareness of persuasive messaging in influencer-driven hybrid content and examine their moral and evaluative responses to hybrid advertising, assessing its impact on brand and influencer perception.

The literature review examines the evolution of advertising from direct persuasion in traditional media to indirect methods integrated into digital entertainment, enhancing effectiveness by masking commercial intent. It discusses attitudes toward mobile advertising, influenced by informativeness, entertainment, irritation, credibility, and personalization. A meta-analysis reveals that entertainment and credibility strongly influence attitudes, particularly for younger users. The review highlights the challenges of recognizing newer, hybridized advertising formats, particularly influencer marketing, where commercial intent is less apparent due to the merging of entertainment and persuasion. It notes the inadequacy of current regulatory frameworks in Spain and the difficulty of demonstrating contractual relationships between brands and minors for endorsements. The literature also emphasizes the significant impact of social media posts by influencers on user decisions and the development of parasocial relationships (PSR) between influencers and followers, which impacts children's critical responses to sponsored content. Finally, the review addresses the growing importance of advertising literacy among minors, noting the need for interventions to improve their ability to identify and critically evaluate persuasive messages in digital environments. The research also explores existing definitions of advertising literacy, emphasizing the importance of recognizing advertising, understanding its intent and techniques, developing critical perspectives, and considering its ethical implications.

This qualitative study employed 35 semi-structured online interviews with Spanish minors aged 10-14, selected from a larger sample based on age, gender, school type, technological access, and advertising literacy. Parental consent was obtained. The interviews explored two themes: (1) understanding promotional content blending advertising and entertainment; and (2) emotional and ethical evaluations of these examples. To assess advertising literacy, a situational perspective was adopted, focusing on how minors processed five specific examples of advertainment from familiar mobile platforms (see Table 2). These examples included brand apps with filters, influencer marketing on Instagram and TikTok, and in-game advertising. The interviews explored participants' self-efficacy in identifying advertising, their understanding of advertising objectives and strategies, and their assessment of trustworthiness and credibility. They also investigated minors' emotional and ethical responses to the promotional content and their opinions on brand and influencer perception. Data analysis involved transcription, review, coding, detailed analysis of responses, and drawing conclusions. A grounded theory approach was used for analyzing the transcripts using MAXQDA software. Two primary categories were defined: (1) recognition and understanding of persuasive intent, and (2) moral perceptions of hybrid advertising.

Approximately half of the interviewees accurately identified advertising in most or all of the presented examples, with recognition increasing with age. The average number of promotional items identified across the five examples was 3.25. While participants generally understood that the posts aimed to make products appealing and encourage purchases, many expressed skepticism about the authenticity of product representations. Opinions on the entertainment value of promotional posts were diverse; some found them entertaining while others did not. A significant number attributed the presence of products on influencer channels to influencers' financial motives or brands' desire for wider reach. Many believed that influencers lacked specialized product knowledge but some held some degree of trust in their endorsements. Morally, about half viewed influencers incorporating these practices favorably, while others had reservations. Regarding the integration of brands and products within content, half disliked it; others were indifferent or enjoyed it, suggesting that appeal depends on subtlety and integration. Many participants suggested improvements such as aligning ads with their interests, making them less intrusive, more honest, or fun. After learning the promotional intent of the content, the most common reactions were indifference and satisfaction, with a few expressing anger. The majority viewed integrated brands positively, seeing it as more engaging than traditional advertising or a necessary aspect of the economic system. Most opposed banning promotional communications, acknowledging companies' need to market and showing empathy towards content creators. Most interviewees maintained their perception of influencers and brands even after understanding the promotional nature, emphasizing entertainment value over advertising intent. Opinions varied on how this awareness changed their views of the brands, with some remaining unchanged, others expressing disapproval of deceptive practices, and some discussing the varying effectiveness of brand marketing strategies. Finally, there was a general consensus on the need for clearer labels to identify promotional content, with some advocating for explicit labeling and others preferring a more subtle approach.

The study's findings highlight the need for improved advertising literacy among minors, given the evolving landscape of social networks and the rise of less recognizable advertising formats. The difficulty of labeling modern content as advertising is apparent. Fostering advertising literacy helps minors make informed consumption decisions. Minors' awareness of brand integration and understanding of advertising intent increase with age. The engaging nature of influencer content often obscures its commercial intent. Ethically, many minors are indifferent, accustomed to influencer marketing strategies. While most prefer clear disclosure of paid collaborations, they generally do not support banning these practices. The study's findings on parasocial relationships with influencers reinforce previous research showing that sponsorship disclosure does not strongly influence attitudes. The importance of critical evaluation of content remains crucial. The need for more attention to advertising literacy is emphasized from both educational and industry perspectives, and suggests strategies for teaching advertising literacy and ensuring transparency and honesty in advertising messages.

This study reveals that while minors recognize brands and influencers in commercial content, their ability to identify this as advertising increases with age. Their primary response to this form of advertising is often indifference. This highlights the need for enhanced advertising literacy programs to equip minors with critical thinking skills necessary to navigate the complex landscape of mobile advertainment and influencer marketing. Future research could explore the long-term effects of exposure to these advertising formats, and develop and evaluate more effective advertising literacy interventions.

The study's limitations include a relatively small sample size and focus on a specific age range and geographic location (Spain). The qualitative nature of the study limits the generalizability of the findings to other populations. The self-reported data on advertising literacy may be subject to biases. Future research with larger, more diverse samples and quantitative measures could further validate these findings.