The changing portrayal of children in Indian advertisements: a comparative study of the three decades

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to analyse the roles in which children have been portrayed in advertisements over three decades (1990–2000, 2000–2010 and 2010–2020) and what have been the changes in the portrayal of the children, including the changes in product type and target audience. Design/methodology/approach The content of 212 television advertisements was analysed for the study; 32 advertisements belonged to 1990–2000, 38 belonged to 2000–2010 and 142 belonged to 2010–2020. Findings It could be observed that in 2010–2020, marketers had primarily focused on children as their central idea behind making any advertisement. They were projecting children as an emotional and informational tool for attracting adults and children, directly or indirectly. Research limitations/implications The implications of this study are manifold. Firstly, the study supports the theories of socialisation and the changing role of children in the same. Secondly, the trend over the decades hints at the marketer’s changing strategy behind using children in advertisements to target adult audiences. Practical implications The significant implication for the practitioner is the possibility of having a child protagonist in an ad for the non-children target audience. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to analyse the changing role of children in advertisements over a long time horizon.

Gender representations and portrayal of adults in children’s television advertising: content analysis of prime cartoon channels in India

“…On adult-focused television advertising, Das (2011) and Moorthi et al (2014) concluded that while gender stereotyping persisted on Indian television, a positive and modern role shift had been observed in women's portrayals. Choudhary and Roy (2022) analyzed 212 television advertisements from 1990 to 2020 to identify differences in product type and audience. The authors observed that from 2010 to 2020, advertisers used emotive and informative appeals to entice both adults and children by using children as the central theme of their advertisements.…”

“… Choudhary and Roy (2022) analyzed 212 television advertisements from 1990 to 2020 to identify differences in product type and audience. The authors observed that from 2010 to 2020, advertisers used emotive and informative appeals to entice both adults and children by using children as the central theme of their advertisements.…”