Analysis of the type of advertising content incorporated in the channels of teenage youtubers

Authors

  • Rebeca Suárez-Álvarez Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
  • Antonio García-Jiménez Rey Juan Carlos University
  • Manuel Montes-Vozmediano Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Keywords:

YouTube, advertising, advertising strategies, teenagers, youtubers, social media, gender, age

Abstract

YouTube is the social network of choice for teenagers and it is where companies have turned their advertising strategies to reach this audience through influencers, who have become new digital celebrities. These new celebrities, known in this social network as youtubers, have an audience that gives their messages greater credibility, compared to those launched by other characters through traditional media. Using content analysis methodology, 300 videos of teenage youtubers, aged between 11 and 17, with more than one million followers, have been studied. The videos were up to 15 minutes long and had more than 1000 views each from Spanish teenage youtubers (11-17 years old), with more than one million followers, from the announcement of state of alarm until its end (year 2020). This investigation goes further into the study of advertising strategies teenagers’ youtubers incorporate in their videos, considering to possible differences in message according to the gender and the age. It concludes that teenage YouTube channels have become commercial showcases with semi-professional performance of minors in which passive product placement is advertising strategies most used by youtubers. In relation to gender, boys are the ones who integrate more content and advertising strategies in their videos and teenagers between 15 and 16 years old are the ones with the highest rates of advertising insertion, above 90%.

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Author Biographies

Antonio García-Jiménez, Rey Juan Carlos University

Journalism Chair at University Rey Juan Carlos (Department of Communication and Sociology, URJC). Professor García-Jiménez holds a PhD in Information Sciences, and is the former Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences at URJC (2008-2014). In addition, he has held the position of director of the Master's Degree in Communication and Sociocultural Problems (2015-2018), and has served as a Lecturer for the Bachelor's Degree in Journalism programme, as well as several Master's Degree Programmes in Communication. Professor García-Jiménez also holds the post of Principal Investigator of the research group focused on communication, society, and culture (GICOMSOC). He has led or participated in 19 research projects related to digital use and risk for adolescents, and is the author of a large number of influential publications, both national and international.

Manuel Montes-Vozmediano, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Manuel Montes Vozmediano is doctor of Science in Communication and extraordinary doctorate award from the King Juan Carlos University. Degree in Information Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid (field of Journalism). Member of the Research Group on Communication Society and Culture (GICOMSOC), has participated in international and national research projects of R+D+I. For this reason its research is oriented towards the visual communication and interaction with the media and advertising and associated social events to new forms of communication, in particular with regard to young people and adolescents. For Pearson Education has written  four books and has published works in journals with high JCR impact factor as Comunicar, among others.  

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Published

2021-07-30

How to Cite

Suárez-Álvarez, R., García-Jiménez, A., & Montes-Vozmediano, M. (2021). Analysis of the type of advertising content incorporated in the channels of teenage youtubers. Revista Prisma Social, (34), 40–60. Retrieved from https://revistaprismasocial.es/article/view/4340