You eat “like a girl”: gender differences in content and effects of food advertising depicting sports

ABSTRACT

Research to date is just beginning to examine the nature and impact of portrayals of physical activity on children’s attitudes in the marketing literature. The following two-part study therefore examines gender differences in the content and effects of food advertising depicting physical activities among children. Study one presents a content analysis of food advertisements shown during children’s television programming, revealing that healthy foods are associated with females while healthy activities are associated predominantly with males. Study two then examines children’s responses to an advertisement for an unhealthy food that portrays both male and female characters engaged in physical activities. Gender differences appeared to be the result of males’ greater belief that a junk food can aid in one’s physical abilities, leading them to hold greater intentions to engage in physical activity as compared to females and males who viewed an ad without physical activity.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• Children
• Advertising
• Obesity

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jessica Castonguay

Jessica Castonguay (Ph.D., University of Arizona) is an assistant professor of Advertising, Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University, USA, [email protected].

Aysen Bakir (Ph.D., University of Mississippi) is a professor of Marketing, College of Business, Illinois State University, USA, [email protected].