INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISEMENTS ON TEENAGERS’

PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR

By
‘Pradyumn Gupta & Udit Sharma

Capstone Project Report

submitted in partial fulfillment
of PGDM Programme 2021-23

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1
Prof. Sourindra Bhattacharjee

Professor, DSB

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 DECLARATION

I/We hereby declare that this report “Influence of Advertisement on Teenagers’

Purchasing Behaviour’ is my/our own work, to the best of my/our knowledge and
belief. It contains no material previously published or written by another person nor
material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other
degree or diploma of any other institute, except where due acknowledgement has been
made in the text.

Signature:

Pradyumn Gupta (202109084)

Udit Sharma (202109128)

BATCH 2021-2023

DATE:

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 CERTIFICATE FROM FACULTY GUIDE

This is to certify that work entitled ‘Influence of Advertisement on Teenagers’ Purchasing

Behaviour’ is a piece of work done by ‘PRADYUMN GUPTA’ & ‘UDIT SHARMA’
under my guidance and supervision for the partial fulfilment of degree of PGDM at Delhi
School of Business.

To the best of my knowledge and belief this study embodies the work of the candidate.
This requirement of the rules and regulations relating to the summer internship of the
institute, is up-to the standard both in respect of content and language for being referred to
the examiner.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

S.No. Component Page No

Cover page and title page 1-4
Declaration by student Certificate
from the institute Table of contents
Table of figures

1 Abstract 6
2 Introduction 7-9
3 Literature review 10-15
4 Research Methodology 16-17
5 Data Collection and Analysis 18-32
6 Discussion (with managerial implications) 33-34
7 Conclusions, Limitations, Future Scope of Study 35-38
8 Recommendations 39
9 Appendices 40-45
10 References 46-47

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 TABLE OF FIGURE

Figure No. Component Page No

1 Advertising message processing scheme 13
2 Gender Pie Chart 18
3 Age Group Division Pie Chart 19
4 Pearsons’ Correlation 20
5 Affect of Advertisement Pie Chart 21
6 Social Influence of Advertisement 22
7 Frequency of Advertisements 23
8 Most impactful Advertising media 24
9 Least impactful Advertising media 24
10 Advertisement as vital tool 25
11 Recall of Advertisement at time of Purchase 25
12 Misled / Deceived by Advertisement 26
13 Purchasing Likelihood after watching 27
advertisement
14 Credibility of Advertisements 28
15 Impact of Influencer / Famous personality 29
16 Influence of Advertisement on Family 30
17 Exchanging Advertisement reviews 31
18 Sharing of Advertisements 32

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1. ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study is to understand the influence of advertisements on teenager’s

purchasing behavior. The hypothesis of the study aimed to establish the relationship between
the frequency of watching advertisements and the degree to which participants recall the
advertisements while purchasing the product. The study explores if recall of the product leads
to its purchase. Purposive sampling was employed to draw the sample. Data was gathered
from teenagers living in Delhi, belonging to the age group 10-18. The sample size of the
study was 162. For the purpose of analyzing data, Pearson's correlation was employed. Along
with this, other means of graphical representation, like bar diagrams and pie charts were also
used. The results of the study indicate the value of 0.402 Pearson’s correlation. Through bar
diagrams and pie charts, it is indicated that the majority of the participants report being
influenced by advertisements when it comes to their purchasing behavior.
It can be concluded from the study that there exists a moderate positive correlation between
frequency of watching advertisements and its influence on recall of advertisements at the
time of purchasing the product.

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2. INTRODUCTION

There has been an increase in the use of advertisements over time. Contrary to popular
belief, advertising has a greater impact on daily life. Due to the very subtle effects of
advertising, many people are not even aware when they are being sold something or when
their behaviour has changed because of advertisements. Effective advertising targets potential
customers and educates them about your products or services.

A consumer is a person who purchases and uses products. Customers therefore play a crucial
role in every country's economic system and keep the production cycle moving. As a result,
any country will experience a crisis if consumers do not have enough demand for the goods
that are produced. There has been an increasing understanding over the past 20 years that
youngsters have great business potential in a variety of markets. Teenager between the ages
of 10 and 18 are thought to have extremely malleable minds, according to research. As a
result, external forces can easily mould and influence their views and behaviours. Therefore,
since they are more likely than adults to be influenced by those things, advertising frequently
target youngsters.

According to Cohen, advertising as a business activity that uses creative methods to create
persuasive communication in mass media that promotes concepts, products, and services in a
manner consistent with the advertiser's objective, consumer satisfaction, and the growth of
social and economic welfare. (1991; Cohen & Areni) Today's marketers are primarily
concerned with developing persuasive messages and advertisements to draw in their target
audience when it comes to the marketing mix. The effect of marketing activities, especially
advertising, on teenager is a crucial and complex topic for society and marketers. Ads can
affect kids' memory and behaviour in both negative and positive ways, according to prior
study. Teenager's understanding is improved, and child-targeted commercials are

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unsuccessful. Teenagers are increasingly exposed to advertisements on television, radio,
newspapers, the Internet, cell phones, and other forms of media. Such advertisements can
take many forms, including graphics, films, and games that promote certain products.
However, a wider range of marketing strategies have entered the discussion of advertising
sharing as a result of the widespread use of mobile phones among teenagers and the
widespread accessibility of the Internet; the effects of these marketing strategies on a child's
behaviour have not yet been sufficiently described. As a result, we concentrate on the kinds
of advertising that are most likely to be seen by children, such sponsored and digital content
that is tied to eye-catching design and behaviourally targeted marketing.

2.1 Theoretical framework

The present study focuses on understanding the influence of advertisements on teenagers

buying behavior. Various theories in the field of marketing take into consideration multiple
factors that influence consumer’s buying behavior. Theory of Reasoned Action by Fishbein
and Ajzen states that the relationship between marketing and consumer’s pre-existing
attitudes determine their purchasing decisions to a large extent. According to this theory,
consumer’s often act on outcomes that are familiar to them. Therefore, there is high emphasis
on the specificity of the information made available to the consumers. This has led marketers
to several insights regarding the way they want to design their advertisements.

Engel Kollat Blackwell Model also mentions the four phases that influence how consumers
make purchasing decisions: input, processing information, decision stages, and variables in
the decision-making process. Taking this model into account, it can be said that input
involves marketing materials that are made available to the consumers through online
advertisements, billboards along with in person displays. Further, the information is
processed, and decisions are taken based on the previous experiences, inputs and the pre-
existing attitudes. This theory proposes that inputs (advertisements) are the most crucial
factor determining consumer’s buying behavior. Therefore, brands pay huge emphasis on
how to market their products to ensure increased sales.

2.2 Research paradigm

The research study takes a quantitative approach to study the consumer’s buying behavior.
Gere, the purchasing behavior of the consumers (teenaegers) are studied through an objective

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lens. Quantitative study was chosen as it is fundamental in generating factual and reliable
information that can be generalized to large populations.

2.3 Rationale of the study

The presented study focuses on understanding the influence of advertisement on teenager’s

purchasing behavior. Advertising is an influential psychological tool, this study holds
significant importance in understanding consumer behavior. Since, teenagers are becoming
more involved in consumerism at an earlier age, and a variety of events and factors impact
their shopping habits and behavior. Many elements interact to influence their decision-
making and behavior patterns.

2.4 Significance of the study

The study can be a potential contributor in exploring the influence of advertisements in

shaping the purchasing behaviors of teenager aged between 10 and 18. Thus, the study will
also help teenager develop insight about their own purchasing behavior. Companies can also
be benefitted from this research as they can design their marketing / promotional campaigns
including different types of advertisements. The research will also help advertising agencies
to do analysis and develop insights of their own and formulate and create their next
campaigns accordingly. Therefore, it will be of significant contribution in the field of
marketing and advertising.

The management and strategic plans of the organisation are significantly influenced by the
advertisements that are broadcast on numerous platforms. The perception of the company by
a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers, investors, the media, etc., is crucial to any
business enterprise's success in today's hypercompetitive climate. Their knowledge and
beliefs about the organisation form the basis of their view (Malmelin, 2007). In locations
where it is challenging to personally encounter or see an organisation, stakeholders,

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according to Einwiller et al. (2010), rely more on news media and social media in recent
years to learn about its reputation.

2.5 Objective of the study

The purpose of the study is to understand the influence of advertisements on teenagers on

purchasing behaviors by exploring the relationship between frequency of watching
advertisements and its recall at the time of purchasing the product.

3. LITERATURE REVIEW

Depending on their individual likes and preferences, consumers have a wide range of desires.
The degree to which consumers are aware of a product affects their choice to buy it.
Psychological and environmental factors are additional factors that might affect someone's
taste and desire for a good. Taste and the desire for a good transformation have changed over
time. Commercials thus have a part in influencing consumer taste and choice. (Sharma &
Sharma, 2009)

A well-designed message in a television commercial may prompt action and inspire teenager
to purchase the product, according to research findings of a study done by Lodhi and Zafar
(2018) on snacks and sugary foods. One of the most crucial factors in determining the
effectiveness and persuasiveness of television advertising in changing teenager's behaviour is
the age of the target audience. Younger kids pay greater attention to TV ads than older kids
because they are less likely to be able to tell the difference between a TV show and a
commercial. Currently, the focus of extensive media attacks that are intelligently planned and
beautiful to appeal to the consumer's emotions, needs, wants, and demands.

When Glast and White hypothesised a cause-and-effect relationship between teenager's

exposure to television advertising and their purchasing decisions and the amount they spent
while shopping with their parents, they found a significant correlation. Sharma et al.'s (2009)
study on the psychological and environmental factors that affect someone's taste and
fondness for a product. With time, taste and the desire for a good change alter. Commercials
consequently influence the tastes and inclinations of consumers. Consumers are believed to
be sensible in their purchasing choices when it comes to consumer goods since they want to
get the most satisfaction possible.

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According to Cohen, advertising has three main goals: to boost corporate sales, give clients
outstanding service, and promote the social and economic well-being of society. There are
many other ways to advertise, including radio, television, billboards, magazines, newspapers,
and online. (Cohen & Areni, 1991) Another form of advertising is direct marketing. It is
advertising that engages clients and potential clients directly. Direct marketing has the
benefits of reaching a broader audience, repeating the message, being inexpensive, and
allowing for the creation of compelling messages through the use of art and visuals. (Kotler
& Keller, 2006)

Advertising comes in two varieties: above-the-line and below-the-line. Above-the-line

advertising, as defined by Kotler and Keller (2006), is marketing that an advertiser pays an
advertising agency to place on television, radio, newspapers, and other kinds of media.
Below-the-line advertising includes things like personal selling, direct mail, sponsorship,
products, and public relations.

Due to their high discretionary income, early brand awareness and connection, and the
widespread perception that young adults make impulsive purchases, advertisers specifically
target teenager. Parents and critics alike frequently hold the view that teenager are easily
duped by advertisements because they lack the cognitive capacity needed to comprehend
messages that are extremely persuasive and, as a result, are unable to make informed
decisions about them. Researchers and educators have tried and are willing to create courses
that will instruct teenager about the purpose of advertisements and also help them create
defences and arguments using commercial messaging. (Lodhi & Zafar, 2018)

3.1 Advertising techniques used in media

To increase product sales, marketers employ a variety of strategies. Because of this, it's
important to consider both traditional marketing techniques and more contemporary ones that
are used in media like television and the internet.

3.1.1 Repetition: Repeating the same marketing message to increase the possibility that
consumers will buy or use the product is known as repetition. Colgate, for instance, has used

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this type of marketing strategy for a very long time and it has been so well welcomed by
consumers that Colgate has replaced the name toothpaste in India (Sasank 2020)

3.1.2 Celebrity endorsement: Actors, sportsmen, musicians, and other personalities either
use and promote the product or through representation. Since celebrities have large fan bases
and their presence on a product inspires familiarity and trust, which encourages purchases, it
is one of the most popular marketing techniques. A celebrity endorsement increases brand
loyalty, purchase intent, and consumption, all of which are outcomes directly related to the
endorsement (Chan Wang 2019).

3.1.3 Premium products: Brands frequently use a few tactics, including offering teenager's
things in exchange for nothing. This also attracts youngsters to purchase them. Premium
goods are frequently used, such as toys or playing cards. For instance, a popular Kinder Joy
brand offers a toy with each order (Sasank 2020).

3.1.4 Product placement: Placing an advertisement on a product in a way that makes it

impossible for the viewer to distinguish between the commercial and the content. According
to the implicit-persuasion hypothesis, implicit attitudes affect teenager's spontaneous
decisions, making them more likely to make future instinctual decisions and choose the
emphasized goods (Brown et al. 2017).

3.1.5 Integrated marketing strategies: An efficient way to traverse the complicated

communications landscape is to use integrated marketing communications. This can be
accomplished through a methodical procedure that begins with thorough research on target
audiences, the choice of appropriate channels, and powerful messaging. Teenager perceive
things promoted by their favorite cartoon character as more attractive because of this strategy
(Gordon, 2013).

3.1.6 Video- news release: Companies submit information about their goods or services to
news organizations for broadcast as news programmes to influence youth and teenager since
those outlets enjoy the trust of their audience that they would deliver respectable news to
their viewers. Examples include CEO or senior official interviews, documentaries on the
production process of a product, and a range of other things (Sasank 2020).

3.2 How teenager process advertising message.

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For a marketing campaign to be successful, advertisers must persuade teenager to pay
attention to the message, crave a certain product (or service), recognise and recall the
product, and purchase it. Commercial success is determined on teenager's understanding of
advertising, which is easily manufactured, digested, and displayed in the mind of a kid using
the following strategy (Fig.1):

Figure 1. Advertising message processing scheme

3.3 Psychological basis of Teenager’s purchasing behavior

Consumer socialisation, according to Ward, is "the process by which young people acquire
skills, knowledge, and attitudes related to their functioning in the marketplace." Teenager
have an influence on the family's purchasing choices. Teenager learning to be consumers go
through three stages of growth according to John's model of consumer socialisation, which is
based on Piaget's stage theory of intellectual development and Selman's stage theory of social
development. It advances through the stages of perception, analysis, and reflection. Parents
are thought to play the most significant role in influencing their teenager's consumer
behaviour.

Peers and parents both significantly influence how socially adept teenager become. As a
socialisation tool, peers play a significant role in helping kids learn the expressive
characteristics of consumption. The role of friends on socialisation grows as parental
influence decreases. Teenager play a variety of roles in making purchases, as was described
in. The three markets for teenager are main, influencer, and future. These are merely kid-
oriented objects, and kids are the ones who make them. The parents' shopping choices may be
influenced by other things, such as those that the whole family uses. When it comes to

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purchase habits for other goods, parents' prior knowledge of their kids' tastes and preferences
has an impact.

Some studies look at how social influence affects buying decisions and the relationships
between sensitivity to reference group influence and other traits. Young people frequently
buy products as a consequence of peer pressure and motivation. Reference groups, according
to Bourne, have a considerable influence on consumer decisions, although the type and
degree of this influence might vary from product to product. He claims that reference groups
are made up of people who are utilised as a person's point of reference when making a
decision, with whom they share similar beliefs and goals. (2018's Lodhi & Zafar)

Additionally, it has been seen that parents socialise their teenager to be wise shoppers. The
influence of teenager varies depending on the product, product sub-decision, decision-making
stage, kind of kid socialisation, families, gender role, orientation, demographic parameters
like age and gender, as well as the respondent chosen for the relative influence inquiry. The
second most efficient socialisation instrument for teenager, after parents, is mass media.

3.4 Demographics Effect on Teenager

Teenagers have a greater impact in larger, higher-income homes, and as kids become older,
their influence and persuasive power increases, per a study by Moschis and Mitchel (1978).
As people get older, they are better able to see, take in, and digest advertising's messages.

According to Moschis and Moore assert that there is a significant positive relationship
between adolescents' socioeconomic status and the range of their brand preferences for
various goods. With age came a greater propensity to use friends as a source of knowledge,
and there was a correlation between the number of sources used and age. Similar to this, as
people aged, they were less inclined to look to their parents for advice and information.

Compared to male teenager, female teenager typically have more influence over the family's
purchasing decisions and are more likely to use a variety of persuasive strategies, such as
reasoning, pleading, and persuasion, to influence their parents. Teenager are regarded as
secondary or subordinate to parental authority in some circumstances, according to
Mangleburg et al., while in others, they are viewed equally to parents in decision-making. In
general, we may say that many facets of family authority are affected by family type, such as
single parent, stepparent, or intact households. A study found that teens in single-parent

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homes have more influence than those in step- or intact families, which may be related to
differences in how they were socialized on the roles of parental authority.

3.5 Teenager Response to Advertisements

Between the ages of 10 and 13, kids have a limited comprehension of what a commercial is
and how it works, and they don't seem to be able to handle advertisements well. As was
previously said, while awareness of advertising's purpose increases with age, belief in its
veracity tends to decline. Knowing the objective of persuasion comes with scepticism and
disbelief regarding the advertised goods. Most sixth graders exhibited a distrustful attitude by
the second grade. The percentage of kindergarten pupils, third grade students, and sixth grade
students who believe advertising never or only seldom transmits the truth increased from
50% to 80% to 97 percent, respectively, according to Ward, Wackman, and Wartella.

Teenager can also gain by assessing commercials and knowing the difference between
accurate and deceptive ones. For instance, kindergarteners were unable to explain why
advertisements misled, but older kids connected lying with persuasion. (Moschis & Gilbert
A. Churchill, 1978)

3.6 Teenagers and advertising

When they are 12 to 13 years old, kids can typically understand the point of advertising and
use the information presented to make choices about what they want. They might not be
aware of how advertising drives up prices and also be unable to identify clever product
placement techniques. They wouldn't be aware of the users who frequently engage in
sponsored activities when posting on social media. Additionally, young people might not be
aware that a lot of social media influencers and celebrities are compensated or given free
things in exchange for posting about them.

Teenager above the age of 14 may be aware of how the market functions, be sceptic of claims
made by advertisers, and not be aware that social media sites like Instagram, Facebook,
YouTube, and Snapchat collect user data for the purpose of user-targeted advertising.
Additionally, they might not be capable of evaluating political commercials, especially
during election seasons.

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3.7 Research gap

Based on the review of literature, it can be observed that there is scarcity of research data that
explores the influence of advertisements on teenager’s decision making, attitudes and buying
behavior in the Indian context, particularly in the Delhi region. Though various studies are
conducted on the influence of advertisements, less studies focus on teenagers. Therefore, the
present study takes into consideration these research lacunas and focuses on teenagers
between the age group 10 and 18. A few research studies did not consider age as a driving
factor when it comes to assessing the influence of advertisements.

4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4.1 Rationale
The goal of this study is to understand the influence of advertisements on teenager’s
purchasing behavior. Thus, the study aims to establish the relationship between frequency of
watching advertisements and its recall at the time of purchase.

4.2 Objectives of the Study

The goal of this study was to determine the influence of advertising on teenager’s behavior,
attitudes and decision making when it comes to purchasing products. The study also aims to
explore how advertising affects the purchasing habits and brand loyalty of teenagers.
Therefore, the hypothesis of the study explores the relationship between frequency of
watching advertisements and its recall during the time of buying the product. Along with this,
the purpose is to identify the specific advertisements or types of advertisements that have the
greatest influence on teenagers' purchasing decisions. Lastly, it examines the role of peer
pressure in the context of advertising and teenage buying behavior.

4.3 Hypothesis

H1 - There is significant relationship between frequency of watching advertisement and

recalling advertisement at time of purchase.

H0 - There is no significant relationship between frequency of watching advertisement and

recalling advertisement at time of purchase.

4.4 Research design

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The research has been based on descriptive research design. Descriptive research design
allows researchers to systematically gather information about a phenomenon, situation, or
population. Thus, providing emphasis on where, how, and when of the phenomenon rather
than why. Therefore, this research design was selected as the focus of the study was on
describing the influence of different advertisements on teenager’s purchasing behaviors and
attitudes.

4.5 Sampling technique

Purposive sampling approach was applied in order to draw the sample. The purposeful
selection of a participant is a component of the judgement sampling method, which is also
known as purposive sampling. The researcher determines what information is required and
then searches for sources willing and able to offer it based on their expertise or experience.
(2016's Etikan) Purposive sampling will be used because the study has established inclusion
and exclusion criteria and only those participants were chosen who satisfied the inclusion
criteria of the study. Questionnaire survey was employed for the purpose of collecting data.
The sample size of the study was 162 participants.

4.6 Nature of participants

It is imperative for the participants to be between 10 and 18 years of age. Along with this,
they must be residents of Delhi. Participants from all the genders, socio-economic
background, caste, and ethnicity will be included.

Inclusion Criteria Those teenagers aged between 10- 18, living in Delhi which
formed the sample for the study.

4.7 Procedure

In order to reach out to the desired population, a google form was circulated through
researcher’s social media accounts to reach out to teenager who are aged between 10 and 18,
living in Delhi. The participants were asked to fill out the 5-point Likert scale. The beginning
of the Likert scale inculcated basic details like name, age, gender, and contact details.
Participants were also indicated that their participation would be on a voluntary basis.

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Privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity of the participants was maintained through the
removal of any identifying characteristics before widespread dissemination of information. It
was ensured that participants' names would not be used for any other purposes, nor will
information be shared that reveals their identity in any way. At the end of the data collection,
all the participants were thanked for their contribution in the study. Following this, data
gathered via Likert scale was interpreted using Pearson’s r analysis on Jasp tool. Along with
this, pie charts and bar graphs were generated for particular questions. Conclusions were then
drawn from the results.

5. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

For the purpose of gathering data in the study, A 5-point Likert scale was developed.
Here the scale ranged from 1 to 5, where option 1 represents ‘Never’, option 2 represents
‘Rarely’, option 3 represents ‘Sometimes’, option 4 represents ‘Often’, and option 5
represents ‘Very Often’.

The Likert scale was circulated as google form to reach maximum teenagers living in Delhi.
In the beginning of the google form, certain questions were added to gather data about the
demographic details of the participants.

The collected data was then analysed using Pearson’s r correlation. This helped in measuring
the strength of linear relationship between two variables that is frequency of watching
advertisements and its recall at the time of purchasing the product. Along with this, graphical
representation in the form of pie charts and bar diagrams were employed for further analysis.

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SECTION BEFORE SHOWING YOU
ANALYSIS

Figure 2

The above presented pie chart shows that out of 162 responses, 56.2% of the participants
belonged to male category. On the other hand, 43.8% of the participants were female.

Figure 3

The presented study focused on the category’s teenagers between the age group 10 and 18.
Within this age group criteria, 72.2% of the participants were aged between 15 and 18. On

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the other hand, 17.3% of the participants belonged to the 13-15 years of age group. The rest
10.3% of the participants were under 13 years but above 10 years.

Figure 4

The above presented figure shows that the value of Pearson’s is calculated to be 0. 402.This
correlation was calculated between the frequency of watching advertisements on various
platforms and the degree to which participants recall advertisements at the time of purchasing
the same product. Since the p value is less than 0.05, null hypothesis will be rejected. Along

21
with this, the figure shows that there is positive moderate correlation between the two
variables.

Figure 5

The above presented pie chart indicates that out of 162 participants, 77.8% mentioned that
advertisements affect their purchasing decisions. Only 8.6% of the participants believed that
advertisements have no effect on their purchasing decisions. On the other hand, 13.6% of the
participants indicate ambiguity when it comes to understanding the impact of the
advertisements on their product buying decisions.

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 Figure 6

On Likert scale, 1 represents never while 5 represents very often. The figure shows that out of
162 responses, 29% of the participants sometimes feel the pressure to fit in with others while
they take decisions about buying products in the context of advertisement campaigns. While
14% of the participants indicated that they never feel pressurized through their responses,
15.4% of the participants chose ‘very often’ option in this question. 24 participants
highlighted that they rarely feel pressured from significant others to purchase the products
based on advertisements. On the other hand, 42 participants mentioned feeling the pressure to
fit with others ‘often’ while purchasing a product due to advertisements.

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 Figure 7

Bar diagram suggests that 32.1% of the participants sometimes watch advertisements on
television, social media and other platforms. While 26.5% of the participants marked ‘often’
option, 23.5% of the total participants indicated that they view advertisements ‘very often’.
Out of 162, only 16 participants mentioned that they never watch advertisements on
television, social media and other platforms. 13 participants indicated that they rarely view
advertisements.

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 Figure 8

The above presented pie chart indicates that out of 162 participants, 65.4% mentioned that
social media has the most impact on their purchasing decisions. Only 8% of the total majority
believes that Web Advertising has the most impact on their purchasing decisions. On the
other hand, 19.1% of the participants indicated that TV impacts their purchasing decision the
most. Whereas only 7.5% of the total majority believes that Billboards / Hoardings affects
their purchasing decision.

Figure 9

The above presented pie chart indicates that out of 162 participants, 42% mentioned that
Billboards / Hoardings has the least impact on their purchasing decisions. Whereas 21.6% of
the total majority believes that Web Advertising has the least impact on their purchasing
decisions. On the other hand, 17.1% of the participants indicated that Social Media impacts
their purchasing decision the least. Whereas 18.5% of the total majority believes that TV has
least impact on their purchasing decision.

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 Figure 10

The above pie chart indicates that out of 162 participants, 54,3% believes that advertising as a
tool is important for deciding what to buy or aids them while purchasing certain products and
services. On the other hand, only 11.7% of the total majority believes that advertising as a
tool is not vital while making a purchase. Whereas 34% of total respondents were not sure
whether they consider advertising a vital tool for deciding what to buy or not.

Figure 11

The presented figure talks about the frequency with which people recall advertisements while
making a purchase. Out of 162, a high number of participants (46) indicated that they
‘sometimes’ recall advertisements while engaging in purchasing behavior. 45 participants
stated that they ‘often’ recall advertisements during the purchase of the product. 30

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participants mentioned that they ‘very often’ recall the advertisements of the products they
are buying. On the other hand, only 13% of the participants mentioned that they never recall
the advertisements, while 12.3% of them suggested that they rarely recall any
advertisements.

Following this, participants who marked sometimes, often and very often options were asked
to indicate the type of the product they recalled. The responses suggested that majority of the
products belonged to e-commerce sites, Beauty and Lifestyle industry, Tech Industry (Mobile
phones, Laptops, Smartwatches, TVs, Etc)

Figure 12

Bar diagram suggests that 30.2% of the participants (49) sometimes felt misled or deceived
by the advertisements. Interestingly, 22.8% of the participants (37) marked ‘often’ option,
and 22.8% of the participants (37) indicated rarely. Out of 162, only 13 participants (8%)
mentioned that they were never misled or deceived by the advertisements, and 26 participants
(16%) indicated that they get misled or deceived by the advertisements very often.

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 Figure 13

The presented bar diagram represents that 41.4% of the participants believe that they
sometimes purchase a certain product or service after watching an advertisement. Whereas 43
participants marked ‘often’ option stating that they often end up purchasing products after
watching an advertisement and 22 of the total participants indicated they rarely purchase a
product or service after watching advertisements. On the other hand, 12 participants indicated
that they never purchase products or services after consuming an advertisement and 18
participants stated that they purchase very often after watching an advertisement.

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 Figure 14

Through this figure, it can be seen that out of 162 participants, the responses of 64
participants indicated that they ‘sometimes’ rely on information presented in the
advertisements in the times of uncertainty and inadequate knowledge about the product, 26.5
% of the participants suggested that they rely on the information in advertisements ‘often’
and 13% of the responses indicated that they highly depend on the content of the information
when they lack knowledge about the product. On the other hand, only 8.6 % stated ‘never’
and 12.3% mentioned ‘rarely’ on this question when asked about the degree to which they
rely on the information shown in advertisements if they have inadequate knowledge about the
product.

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 Figure 15

The presented figure talks about the role of Influencer / Famous personality in advertisements
and their influence on the targeted audience through advertisements. Out of the total
respondents, 35.8% believed that they sometimes get influenced by famous personalities
when they appear in advertisements. On the other hand, 23 respondents never get influenced
whether any famous influencer endorses any product or service. Whereas 23.5% of the total
majority often gets influenced and purchased the product and 13.6% gets influenced very
often and definitely purchases the product after seeing their favorite famous personality or
influencer in the advertisements. Whereas 21 participant rarely gets influenced by famous
personalities and purchases the product after watching them in advertisement.

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 Figure 16

The above presented diagram suggests that out of 162 participants, 58 participants indicated
that they ‘sometimes’ see their parents/ family members getting influenced by
advertisements. On the other hand, 44(27.2) participants mentioned that they ‘often’ see their
close ones getting influenced by advertisements. Similarly, 32 participants (19.8%) stated that
their parents and friends are ‘very often’ influenced by the advertisement. On the other hand,
only 6.2% of the participants mentioned that they ‘never’ see others in their vicinity getting
influenced by advertisements. 11.1% of the responses indicate that they ‘rarely’ see their
family members and friends getting influenced by advertisements.

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Figure 17

Based on the data collected, the above presented figure shows that 47 (29%) participants have
observed that they ‘often’ find their friends and classmates sharing reviews of the products
after watching advertisements. Out of 162, 44 participants indicate that they ‘sometimes’ see
their classmates/ friends exchange reviews after watching advertisements. 22.2% (36) of the
total participants suggest that they ‘very often’ see their classmates and friends exchanging
reviews based on the advertisements. Out of 162, only 16 participants responded that they
have ‘never’ seen friends exchanging reviews based on the advertisements. 19 participants
highlighted that they ‘rarely’ see others, particularly friends commenting or sharing reviews
on the products based on advertisements.

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 Figure 18

Based on the data collected, the above presented diagram suggests that out of 162
participants, 42 (25.9%) participants sometimes share advertisements with their friends and
family. Whereas, the same number of participants (37) share advertisements oftenly and very
oftenly with their friends and family. Also, it can be observed that 20 (12.3%) out of 162
participants rarely share any advertisements and 26 (16%) participants never share any type
of advertisement with their family and friends.

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6. DISCUSSION (with managerial implications)

Since the results of the research study highlights the significant relationship between
advertisements and teenager’s behaviors and decision making, it is imperative for the
managers to be aware of the potential risks and opportunities of new social media channels
and consider strategies for engaging with teenagers in a responsible and effective manner.

The study plays a significant role in helping markets understand the factors that influence
teenage buying behavior. This would help managers and marketers create effective marketing
strategies and improve their products or services' appeal to this market segment. Another
important implication for managers is to take into consideration the different forms of
advertising that are most effective for reaching teenagers. Traditional forms of advertising,
such as television or print ads, may be less effective for reaching younger generations, who
are increasingly using social media and other digital channels. Marketers need to stay abreast
of the latest trends in advertising and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Through the lens of managerial perspective, it can be said that ethical considerations play a
significant role when it comes to marketing and advertising to teenagers since the influence
of advertisements are high. This would ensure that advertising messages are truthful,
appropriate and don't exploit or manipulate the young population. Though teenagers are a
lucrative market for businesses, it is important to reconsider advertisement of the products
that involve unhealthy behaviors like smoking.

It is important for managers to be aware of the long-term effects of advertising on teenager’s

behavior. They must be mindful of the messages they are sending to teenagers and how these
messages may influence their long-term buying behavior. Additionally, managers need to
consider the broader social and cultural context in which advertising is being received. For
example, certain products or services may be more appealing to teenagers in certain cultural
contexts, and marketers need to be aware of these differences to create effective marketing
strategies.

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Overall, the influence of advertising on teenagers purchasing behavior is significant
consideration for managers and marketers. They need to be mindful of the ethical, cultural,
and long-term implications of their advertising strategies. By understanding the factors that
influence teenage buying behavior, marketers can create effective advertising campaigns that
resonate with this demographic and drive sales.

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7. CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATION, FUTURE SCOPE OF STUDY

7.1 Conclusions
From Figure 4 it can be observed that, the value of Pearson’s correlation r that is 0.402
shows that there is moderate correlation between the frequency of watching advertisements
and recalling the advertisements at the time of purchase. The positive value of 0.402 means
that there is positive correlation between the two variables. Therefore, with an increase in
the frequency of people watching the advertisements, there will be an increase in the recall
of the advertisements while purchasing the product. Therefore, due to recall of the
advertisements, people also often purchase the products.

The data collected in figure 5 suggests that most participants believed that advertisements
influenced their purchasing behavior. From figure 6, it can be concluded that more people
feel the pressure to fit in with others when it comes to purchasing the products after looking
at advertisements as compared to participants who stated that they never or rarely feel the
pressure. Thus, the social influence of the advertisements is highlighted here. Figure 7
highlights that a high number of participants watch advertisements on various platforms
often or very often. Therefore, suggesting towards the degree of exposure of the
advertisements in their day-to-day life.

From Figure 8 and 9, it can be interpreted that traditional sources are now becoming
obsolete for getting the information through advertisements for this age group. It is observed
from the responses that 65.4% of respondents (teenagers) prefer and watch more
advertisements on Social Media as compared to Billboards / Hoardings or even TV and
subsequently have the most impact and influence on their purchasing behavior. This could
also be attributed to high accessibility of social media, with the technological advancements,
whenever and wherever teenagers can use their smartphones and start surfing on social
media majority of times, where they get exposed to hundreds of advertisements in a day.

Figure 10 shows that most of the participants believed that advertisements are vital tools
when it comes to purchasing decisions. Thereby, highlighting the influence of
advertisements on their purchasing behavior.

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 In Figure 11, a high percentage of participants recalling the advertisement of the product at
the time of purchase again highlights the importance of its influence on their buying
behavior. Following this, participants who marked sometimes, often, and very often options
were asked to indicate the type of the product they recalled. The responses also suggested
that most of the products belonged to e-commerce sites, Beauty and Lifestyle industry, Tech
Industry (Mobile phones, Laptops, Smartwatches, TVs, Etc). This indicates that companies
who are advertising heavily on such product lines are perceived to be successful in reaching
their target audience for their respective product.

Figure 12 shows that a huge chunk of the participants believe that they are sometimes
misled by the advertisements. This points out the need for the marketers and advertising
agencies to take into consideration the ethical aspects of advertising.

Based on the data received on figure 13, it can be concluded that more than half of the
participants, either sometimes purchase the products after looking at advertisements or often
find themselves buying products after watching advertisements. Therefore, their decision
making is influenced by advertisements.

Figure 14 suggests that more number of participants (64) rely on the information presented
in the advertisements when there’s inadequacy of knowledge in comparison to participants
(34) who never or rarely rely on the information given in advertisements. Therefore, there is
high reliance on the content of the advertisements along with this exposure.
.
From figure 15, it can be interpreted that various factors hold importance in determining
whether the advertisements will be influential. Such factors include the information
presented along with the presence of a famous personality/ influencer. Thus, many
participants stated that they are either sometimes or often influenced by advertisements
when it is endorsed by a famous personality.

Figures 16, 17 & 18 suggest that, in some cases, teenagers’ parents and friends sometimes
get influenced by the advertisements shown on various platforms and have an impact on
their purchasing behavior. Also, it can be observed that most of the respondents often share
and exchange their reviews and opinions amongst their friends and family. Therefore, it

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 indicates that advertisement has influence not only on teenagers but on their parents and
friends as well, through them. As their conversations revolve around certain advertisements
from which they were most or least impacted, this indicates the strong influence an
advertisement could create through various platforms, be it negative or positive.

Therefore, it can be concluded that there exists a significant relationship between the impact
of advertisement on teenagers and their buying behaviour.

7.2 Limitations

Despite the research study's many advantages, there are some restrictions that need to be
considered. The study only examined demographics and age groups, therefore there is little
scope for generalizing the information gathered. As a result, the study's focus is limited to
adolescents from a certain socioeconomic background, region, or culture, which restricts the
applicability of its findings to other populations.

A convenience sample of teenagers was also used in addition to this. The teenagers included
in this non-probability sample technique are not all teenagers. The current study does not
account for other factors that can affect purchasing behaviour, such as personality qualities,
cultural norms, or financial restrictions; it simply examines the effect of advertising on
teenager’s purchasing behaviour.

Due to the complexity of the research question, depending on a quantitative research

approach falls short of capturing the true significance of how advertising influences teen
purchasing decisions. Teenagers' experiences may be further illuminated by a qualitative
research method like focus groups or interviews. Utilising only quantitative design does not
adequately convey the complexity of all the various advertisements at play.

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7.3 Future Scope of Study

The long-term impacts of advertising on teenage purchasing behaviour could be the subject
of future research. For instance, how might teen exposure to advertising messages during
adolescence affect their decision-making and purchasing behaviours when they enter
adulthood?

Most of the research in this field has been done in Western societies. Even though Indian
culture is taken into consideration in this study, future studies can investigate cross-cultural
distinctions in these areas. The effectiveness of advertising laws in shielding teenagers from
harmful advertising may be the subject of future research. The ethical issues surrounding
advertising to teenagers, including the responsibility of advertisers and media platforms to
protect vulnerable populations can be explored by the future researchers. The effectiveness of
regulations and policies designed to protect teenagers from harmful advertising practices.
Overall, research in this area could have important implications for public policy, marketing
strategies, and the well-being of teenagers. Thus, the scope for this study is broad as it opens
up opportunities for future researchers in further exploring the complex relationship between
advertising and teenage consumption patterns.

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8. RECOMMENDATIONS

Future researchers can also consider the psychological effects of advertising on teenagers,
including its impact on self-esteem, body image, and their attitudes toward consumerism and
materialism. It is also recommended for future researchers to take a diverse sample. As
previously mentioned, the sample size and diversity of the participants in a study can greatly
impact the validity of the results. Therefore, it is suggested to select participants from
different backgrounds and socio-economic status to avoid limited generalizability.

To further increase the scope of present study, multiple research methods can be employed.
This will help in strengthening the findings and enhance the reliability of the results. For
instance, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research can offer a more in-depth
understanding of how advertising affects teenagers.

It is also recommended for future researchers to further explore the long-term effects of
advertising on teenagers, not just the immediate and short-term effects. This will further lead
to collection of in-depth data on the impact of prolonged exposure to advertising and how it
affects teenagers' behavior, health, and well-being over time.

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 9. APPENDICES

Link to Google Form

-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1r_8WiN9CCPQgKdsPGBhkeYaWHakCjcJ-
w2ltKoBptZ4/prefill

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