Young Children's Perceptions of Cigarette Brand Advertising Symbols: Awareness, Affect, and Target Market Identification

Abstract

Abstract The author assesses young children's abilities to recognize cigarette brand advertising symbols and to identify adults as the appropriate target market for cigarettes. She used nonverbal measures in interviews with children three to eight years of age to assess how recognition of cigarette brand advertising symbols is related to age, cognitive developmental level, children's affect toward cigarettes, children's evaluation of cigarettes, and children's ability to identify adults as the appropriate target market for cigarettes. The results show that recognition of cigarette brand advertising symbols increases with age, as does overall recognition of brand advertising symbols in general. Regardless of age, cognitive developmental level, or recognition scores, children reported not liking cigarettes, believing cigarettes are “bad for you,” and finding children to be an inappropriate target market for cigarettes. Findings are discussed in terms of social science and public policy, and in terms of the implications for cognitive development.