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JAR PODCAST: Inner Child Messaging, Perceived Authenticity, and Consumer Responses in Advertising
Description
In this episode, Dr. Jano Jimenez-Barreto (Universidad de La Laguna- Oxford Brookes University) joins me to discuss his research paper titled "Inner Child Messaging, Perceived Authenticity, and Consumer Responses in Advertising."
Dr. Jimenez-Barreto explains how his study explored new cognitive-efficient ways to trigger nostalgia in advertising by using "inner child messaging" instead of traditional self-referencing techniques. The research found that inner child messaging works better for hedonic products and experiences related to childhood, such as food, toys, and amusement parks, while showing limited effectiveness for utilitarian products.
Dr. Jimenez-Barreto discussed the theoretical underpinnings from psychoanalytic literature about self-authenticity and true self, as well as the challenges in differentiating between product authenticity and existential authenticity in consumers. We also discussed the importance of accounting for contextual variations in how childhood is perceived. Future research directions include exploring visual and multimedia representations of the inner child, measuring initial levels of nostalgia, and examining cultural differences in childhood symbolism.
Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1080/00218499.2025.2607792
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