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'They are totally unfiltered' : Constructions of the child audience among Swedish advertising producers

Martinez, Carolina LU (2016) In Television & New Media 17(7). p.612-628
Abstract
This article analyzes how producers of advertising construct children as an advertising audience. Previous research has argued that marketers are bound to present children as competent and savvy to legitimize their own practices. Drawing on interviews with Swedish producers of child-directed online advertising, this study shows that marketers are not destined to portray children as competent as the idea of the vulnerable and incompetent child was an important construction among the Swedish producers. The Swedish producers constructed a multifaceted and ambivalent image of children, mixing the idea of the vulnerable and dependent child with the idea of the competent child. This study contributes to the wider understanding of media... (More)
This article analyzes how producers of advertising construct children as an advertising audience. Previous research has argued that marketers are bound to present children as competent and savvy to legitimize their own practices. Drawing on interviews with Swedish producers of child-directed online advertising, this study shows that marketers are not destined to portray children as competent as the idea of the vulnerable and incompetent child was an important construction among the Swedish producers. The Swedish producers constructed a multifaceted and ambivalent image of children, mixing the idea of the vulnerable and dependent child with the idea of the competent child. This study contributes to the wider understanding of media producers’ constructed audiences, particularly regarding how culture and media regulation shape the notion of the child audience among producers. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
audience constructions, imagined audiences, marketers, advertising practitioners, online advertising, children
in
Television & New Media
volume
17
issue
7
pages
17 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:84994494019
  • wos:000387684700004
ISSN
1527-4764
DOI
10.1177/1527476416637676
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e9fb00b6-49c5-4141-8881-0ae0a992c20c
date added to LUP
2016-05-03 14:26:15
date last changed
2022-01-30 03:05:54
@article{e9fb00b6-49c5-4141-8881-0ae0a992c20c,
  abstract     = {{This article analyzes how producers of advertising construct children as an advertising audience. Previous research has argued that marketers are bound to present children as competent and savvy to legitimize their own practices. Drawing on interviews with Swedish producers of child-directed online advertising, this study shows that marketers are not destined to portray children as competent as the idea of the vulnerable and incompetent child was an important construction among the Swedish producers. The Swedish producers constructed a multifaceted and ambivalent image of children, mixing the idea of the vulnerable and dependent child with the idea of the competent child. This study contributes to the wider understanding of media producers’ constructed audiences, particularly regarding how culture and media regulation shape the notion of the child audience among producers.}},
  author       = {{Martinez, Carolina}},
  issn         = {{1527-4764}},
  keywords     = {{audience constructions; imagined audiences; marketers; advertising practitioners; online advertising; children}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{612--628}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Television & New Media}},
  title        = {{'They are totally unfiltered' : Constructions of the child audience among Swedish advertising producers}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1527476416637676}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1527476416637676}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}