A Cross-National Analysis of Advertisement Content

The children's segment of the consumer marketplace has grown substantially in the last couple of decades. Advertisers have been allocating significant amounts of money to tap into this market. This study provides an in-depth analysis of television commercials shown during times and on television channels children watch in India and the U.S. The two countries are distinctly different in their level of industrialization, consumer culture, and advertising maturity. Empirical evidence is provided on execution-related concepts such as message structures and types of messages, among others. Significant differences as well as commonalities that might be related to economic environment, consumption culture, and advertising maturity are found between the two countries. Potential explanations for the findings are offered.