EXPLORING THE FORMATION OF BRAND LOYALTY IN CHILDREN: A CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY APPROACH TO EARLY PURCHASING BEHAVIOREXPLORING THE FORMATION OF BRAND LOYALTY IN CHILDREN: A CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY APPROACH TO EARLY PURCHASING BEHAVIOR

Background: Children’s brand loyalty is also catching the attention of marketers, in particular within the context of digital media and peer pressure. 4 Interaction between those 2 factors in childhood is critical for ethical marketing and for fostering informed consumers. Aim: This study was designed to examine the effect of media exposure and peer influence on brand loyalty in children (8–14 years old) and to test the moderating effect of peer influence and the group difference of demographics. Method: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 300 urban Pakistani children selected by the stratified random method. The data source was a standardized questionnaire to measure media exposure, peer influence and brand loyalty. Pearson correlation, independent samples t-test and moderated mediation analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The effect of media exposure on brand loyalty Results indicated a strong positive association between media exposure and brand loyalty (r =. 48, p <. 01). Males displayed lower brand loyalty than females (p =. 021), and older children (11–12 years) showed more loyalty than younger peers. The result of the moderated mediation analysis showed that peer influence significantly moderated the indirect effect of media exposure on brand loyalty (Estimate =. 21, p =. 011). Brand loyalty differences could also be attributed to demographic factors including family income and parental education. Conclusion: Media and peer influences are strong predictors for children to develop brand loyalty. These data demonstrate the critical necessity for media literacy campaigns and moral marketing strategies aimed at youth.