The impact of brand attitudes and social agents on young consumer behaviour

Brand promotion among young children continues to be a marketing area which raises key concerns amongst marketers and in the wider society. Key prior literature has focused extensively on the relation between age and children‟s brand recognition and recall. A number of studies have mainly investigated the influence of the media and the association between advertising messages and young consumers' behaviour. Far fewer studies have studied brand attitudes and social agents, such as peers and family members, as possible influencers of consumer behaviour. A review of literature about children's consumer abilities reveals that brand attitude is considered important when investigating behaviour. Furthermore, literature on child consumer socialisation reveals, that more factors exist which are believed to influence children's attitudes and behaviour to brands. Personal attributes such as age, gender and cultural background as well as influences within the family (particularly parents and siblings) and influences outside the family (mainly peers and media) should be investigated. The thesis aims to identify factors influencing children‟s behaviour and attitudes towards brands. Important questions are: the way personal attributes and social agents influence young consumers' attitudes and behaviour; and the degree to which attitudes influence children's behaviour for branded items. Children aged between 6 and 12 from a number of schools in Cyprus participated in the study. Different methods were incorporated to answer the research questions. An exploratory questionnaire, a large scale questionnaire and semi structured interviews were the main tools used. Ethical considerations were given high priority in the research design and a number of authorities were consulted for ethical permission. The findings of the thesis indicate that family, peer pressure, and media influence young consumers' brand attitudes. In addition, children's consumer behaviour for branded products is influenced by peer pressure and is an outcome of their own brand attitudes. Nevertheless, personal attributes did not appear to be significantly related with brand attitudes and behaviour; while TV advertisements were negatively related with children's brand requests and purchases.