The experience and maturity of individuals as consumers can determine the ability to critically process and analyze the advertising to which they are exposed (Buijzen et al., 2010; Piaget, 1929). This study exposes the differences in conceptual and attitudinal advertising literacy that minors in primary and high school have for the processing of promotional content shared by influencers. After conducting six virtual focus groups in which 34 minors from various communities in Slovakia participated, the results point to clear age-related differences between the two groups regarding the credibility given to these figures, and their ability to identify persuasive attempts to deceive them. influencers regardless of the creativity and dynamism through which the brands are advertised. The youngest interviewees had difficulty understanding the sales intention when it is presented dynamically, and they perceive that the influencer enjoys what he does; the adolescents affirmed that these characteristics are strategies to encourage them to buy the products. This raises interesting educational considerations about the need to start training in advertising literacy earlier.

In a context of growing influencer marketing, it is important to question the role influencers play in the consumption decisions of minors. The special rapport that these content creators are able to create with their followers establishes a framework of credibility that also applies to their publications for commercial purposes. From a qualitative perspective using 12 focus groups, the aim has been to delve into the relationship between influencers and minors between the ages of 11 and 17 who live in Spain, in order to discover the perception and collective imagination of adolescents regarding their relationship with influencers and the commercial implications that this relation entails. The findings reveal that the link developed between the minor and the influencer has a direct impact on the level of credibility bestowed on commercial publications, which is directly dependent on the type of influencer; minors do not object to an influencers commercial collaborations as long as the resulting content is useful or entertaining and has a connection to the profession or lifestyle of the content creator who promotes it. On the other hand, unlike adolescents, the youngest participants demand interaction with their idols.

Los menores están expuestos a diversos contenidos en su navegación por internet y el presente estudio explora específicamente aquellos creados por influencers en formatos híbridos que mezclan diversos fines, incluidos los comerciales, y que además representan un reto mayor para ser identificados correctamente. Desde la óptica de la alfabetización publicitaria tal y como la articulan Roozendal et al. (2011), la investigación tiene como objetivo identificar qué elementos de las dimensiones conceptuales y actitudinales de esta alfabetización están presentes en el procesamiento que los menores hacen del contenido generado por influencers. Para ello se realizaron 12 grupos de discusión en los que participaron 62 menores de entre 11 y 17 años, de colegio privados, concertados y públicos en España, durante el primer semestre de 2021. Los resultados expresan que en general los menores identifican un vínculo comercial entre marcas e influencers, sin embargo, y especialmente los más pequeños, no son capaces de identificar cuando se les presenta un contenido pagado si este no está señalizado como tal. Los adolescentes, por su parte, asumieron una actitud crítica ante el marketing de influencia a partir de la coherencia y afinidad del producto promocionado y el influencer, así como la trayectoria o profesión del creador de contenido.

Influencers have established themselves as key allies for brands by cultivating a powerful public image to promote them. In the case of Instamoms, these collaborations can offer moms a means of achieving economic stability. In a country like Mexico, where the gender gap in the labor market remains a contentious issue, digital work represents an opportunity for women. The similarity between the organic content and commercial content created by these profiles has strengthened the presence of hybrid advertising. This means of advertising has not spelled the end for the original content, and audiences may struggle to spot ads if sponsorship is not disclosed properly. It is important for consumers to be able to identify ads so their persuasion knowledge can be activated. This article examines the commercial messages and types of disclosure used by Mexican Instamoms to inform their followers of the commercial nature of their collaborations. The types of disclosure are analyzed based on language, location, and type of text. After a content analysis of 10,135 stories and more than 330 posts, 40% and 47% of the sample, respectively, was identified as advertising content. The analysis revealed that less than 5% of the Instamoms sponsored content was tagged as such and that sponsorship disclosure does not form part of the usual protocol for influencer-brand collaborations in a country where no legislation is yet in place and the sector is making little effort to control these practices.