Our study stresses the importance of developing understandable and easily recognizable ad disclosures for adolescents as a specific target group of social media influencer (SMI) advertising. A comprehensive advertising literacy concept that includes a cognitive, performative, and attitudinal component builds the theoretical background of the present research. We examine the effectiveness of ad disclosure in the native language of adolescent Instagram users, explore their understanding of the economic mechanism behind SMIs’ advertising activities, and their skepticism toward sponsored content. Furthermore, we analyze the role that sponsorship transparency on Instagram stories plays in adolescents’ responses to advertising. A three-level between-subjects survey-based experimental design (manipulating the absence of ad disclosure versus ad disclosure in the participants’ native language versus standardized paid partnership ad disclosure in English) was conducted online with female adolescent participants (N = 241) in a European country. Findings showed that adolescents who understand the economic model behind SMI advertising have positive intentions toward the SMI and intend to spread online information about the promoted brand. However, even if ad disclosure made in the adolescents’ native language improved ad recognition, such knowledge did not result in more sophisticated defense mechanisms in the form of critical evaluations of the ads.

中文翻译：

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青少年对社交媒体影响者 Instagram 故事赞助内容模式的理解

我们的研究强调了为青少年制定易于理解且易于识别的广告披露作为社交媒体影响者 (SMI) 广告的特定目标群体的重要性。一个综合的广告素养概念，包括认知、表演和态度组成部分，构成了本研究的理论背景。我们检查了青少年 Instagram 用户以母语进行广告披露的有效性，探索他们对 SMI 广告活动背后的经济机制的理解，以及他们对赞助内容的怀疑。此外，我们分析了 Instagram 故事的赞助透明度在青少年对广告的反应中所起的作用。一项基于受试者间调查的三级实验设计（控制广告披露的缺失与参与者母语的广告披露与标准化的付费合作伙伴英语广告披露）在线与女性青少年参与者（N = 241）进行一个欧洲国家。调查结果表明，了解 SMI 广告背后的经济模式的青少年对 SMI 有积极的意图，并打算在网上传播有关所宣传品牌的信息。然而，即使以青少年的母语进行的广告披露提高了广告的认知度，但这种知识并没有导致更复杂的防御机制，即对广告的批判性评估。