Philippine E-Journals

Filipino Children and TV Advertising: Some Variates on Requests to Purchase Advertised Merchandise

Mary Gretchen F. Chaves

 

Abstract:

 

Abstract - This study investigates the relationship between children’s propensity to request the purchase of merchandise seen advertised on TV and the children’s amount of TV viewing hours, their attitudes towards TV advertising, and the children’s age and gender. A dyad survey of 250 parents and children (aged 7 to 12) was conducted on January 2011 among urban middle income households in Cebu City, Philippines. The results show that children watch a weekly average of 2.5 and 3.8 hours of free TV on weekdays and weekends, respectively. Majority of the children believe that TV advertising is good for them. Also, majority of the children request their parents for merchandise advertised on TV, such as fast-food items, toys, hair and body grooming products, milk and chocolate drinks and snack foods. The correlations analyses show the absence of significant relationship between the amounts of the children’s TV watching hours and their purchase requests. Also, the findings indicate the lack of significant relationship between the children’s favorable attitudes towards TV advertising and their purchase requests. Finally, the correlations analyses show that both age and gender are not correlated with the children’s merchandise requests. Implications to policy makers, consumer advocates, marketers and parents are discussed.