E-MARKETING TOOLS 499etc.) is awarded with points to unlock badges for the things members do in the real world and
compete with their friends. As of April 2012, there were more than 2 billion check-ins with
Foursquare. Users can choose to have their check-ins posted on their accounts on Twitter,
Facebook, or both.^46
Applying this kind of game thinking is having a profound eff ect across business, govern-
ment and even the sciences. Th e ‘Fold It’ project, for example, aims to fi nd cures for diseases
such as AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer’s through puzzle-solving. In September 2011 the Fold It
players used human intuition to solve in a few days an enzyme structure problem which had
been befuddling researchers for years. Th is has potential, as reported on the BBC, to pave the
way for the development of anti-AIDS drugs.^47
Although the costs of creating an advergame clearly exceed those of rich-media banners,
interaction time and brand immersion should be considered as well. Online games and adver-
games are tools that permit the online marketer to build brand awareness and brand image
through a more interactive user experience.^48 For example, players of the ‘Jurassic Park III’
game played for an average of 19 minutes, which is obviously a guarantee of a bigger mind-
share among the target groups. Th e retention value of advergames is said to be ten times
higher than the retention value of traditional broadcast commercials. Th ey allow voluntary self-
induced exposure to brand communications and are a non-intrusive and non-interruptive
means of internet advertising.^49Compared with earlier generations, today’s children are overwhelmed by an increasing amount of commercial
messages. As a result, advertisers are adopting alternative advertising techniques in order to break through this ad
clutter and capture their attention.^50 One of these techniques is the integration of the persuasive message into the
media content itself. By doing so, the involved audience are exposed to the ad during the natural process of watching
a movie or programme, playing a game etc.^51 The integrated nature of this technique not only makes it impossible
for viewers to skip the ads, but also implies that they are exposed to the commercial message and the media content
at the same time. This results in blurred boundaries between advertising, entertainment and information.^52
One of the most common theoretical explanations to describe children’s understanding of the persuasive
intention of commercial messages is the Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM).^53 According to the PKM, persuasion
know ledge is the knowledge that consumers develop about marketers’ motives and tactics. This knowledge helps
them to identify how, when and why marketers are trying to influence them. As a result, people are able to critically
process the ad and ‘cognitively defend’ themselves against its persuasive influences. With young children, however,
this knowledge is not yet fully developed. Since the traditional, linear advertising formats no longer dominate the
media environment that children live in, today’s media environment is characterised by integrated advertising
formats. This trend demands a re-evaluation of the insights concerning the development of children’s persuasion
knowledge.
An exploratory qualitative study set out to investigate the persuasion knowledge of children when exposed
to various new advertising formats which are embedded into different media contents. Three different advertising
formats, namely product placement in a TV programme, an advertiser-funded TV programme and an advergame,
were tested. Children from three different age groups (4–6, 7–8, 9–12 years) participated in this qualitative study to
investigate at which age persuasion knowledge is developed for each of these formats. The results of this study
were obtained from 30 in-depth interviews with children between 4 and 12 years old. To further elaborate on theseRESEARCH INSIGHT
Children in a changing media environment: persuasion knowledge for integrated
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