How “Cooties” Affect Advertising: Kids Don’t Like Mixing Girls’ And Boys’ Stuff
Ads for kids routinely show children playing with a product. A Journal of Advertising study shows how the gender of the kids in the ad can have a major impact on how kids respond to both ad and brand. The best ads show one gender and harmonize the gender of the children in the ad with the advertised product.
Take aways
- Children gravitate toward:
- ads with kids of the same gender;
- products specifically geared to match the gender of the kids.
- When 8- to 9-year-olds are the target advertising group, ads should display girl characters with feminine products and boy characters with masculine products (and avoid mixing boys and girls).
Study information
The question?
How does the gender of children shown in advertisements affect 8- to 9-year olds evaluations of the ad and advertised brand?
Who?
256 8- to 9-year-olds
Where?
United States of America, Midwest
How?
Children were shown 1 out of 9 print ads showing two children along with the advertised product (a watch). These ads showed either two boys, two girls, or a boy and girl and a watch that was either masculine, feminine, or gender neutral. After looking at the ad for about thirty seconds, the kids filled out a questionnaire.
Facts and findings
- Kids favored ads with either all boys or all girls.
- Furthermore, the children preferred the ad with boys to feature a masculine watch and the ad with girls to feature a feminine watch.
- The kids liked the ad showing two boys and a feminine watch the least.
- Note: These results are specific to 8- to 9 year olds. At different ages, kids perceive gender and stereotypes differently, which changes how they react to the ads.