New mobile advertising formats targeting young audiences: an analysis of advertainment and influencers’ role in perception and understanding

Over the past twenty years, brand communication strategies have evolved, particularly for younger audiences, with formats that blend advertising and entertainment content, often featuring influencers. This style of advertising presents challenges, notably the difficulty minors face in recognizing the commercial intent of messages. This article explores minors’ awareness and understanding of these advertising techniques, along with their moral and evaluative responses. We conducted 35 in-depth online interviews with minors aged 10–14 years in Spain. The findings reveal that recognition and understanding of such advertising increase with age. Although minors are accustomed to these practices, their primary reaction is indifference. The study emphasizes the importance of enhancing minors’ critical capacities to better navigate hybrid messages on social networks.