A qualitative assessment of US Black and Latino adolescents’ attitudes about targeted marketing of unhealthy food and beverages

ABSTRACT

Food marketing targeted to Black and Latino adolescents primarily promotes energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and likely contributes to diet-related health disparities. Targeted marketing raises further public health concerns as Black and Latino youth are also exposed to greater amounts of unhealthy food marketing in the media and their communities. However, little is known about Black and Latino adolescents’ attitudes toward brands and marketing that target them directly. Focus groups with Black and Latino adolescents (N= 51) explored their attitudes toward targeted and non-targeted brands of food, beverages, and restaurants. Pile sorting activities using cards printed with targeted and non-targeted brand logos were used as an elicitation technique. Overall, participants indicated more positive attitudes about the targeted brands discussed in the focus groups than the non-targeted brands, and participants often described targeted brands as being for someone most like them. Some participants expressed appreciation for marketing that recognized “someone like them” as potential consumers, while others raised ethical issues regarding targeting of unhealthy foods. Participants’ strong affinity for targeted brands, and ambivalent attitudes about targeted marketing of unhealthy products, highlight an opportunity to increase awareness of food marketing targeting communities of color and address targeted marketing through countermarketing and grassroots advocacy campaigns.

KEYWORDS:

• Food and beverage marketing
• targeted marketing
• adolescents
• consumer perceptions and attitudes
• social marketing campaigns
• racial/ethnic minorities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [73446]. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Harris

Jennifer Harris (PhD) is Director of Marketing Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and Associate Professor in Allied Health Sciences at University of Connecticut. She leads a multidisciplinary team of researchers who study food marketing to children, adolescents, and parents, and how it impacts their diets and health.

Willie Frazier

Willie Frazier III (MPH) is Research Program Manager for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. His research centers on efforts to reduce racial/ethnic health disparities among children, and initiatives to enhance diversity in health research through mentoring and young investigator pipelines.

Frances Fleming-Milici

Frances Fleming-Milici (PhD) is a Research Associate for the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Her work focuses on analyzing race/ethnicity differences in rates of exposure to advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages, and assessing the impact of targeted marketing practices on youth attitudes and consumption.

Patrice Hubert

Patrice Hubert (MS, RD) is a PhD student in Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Her past research examines the relationship of food preference and weight management in bariatric surgery. She is currently working on developing an intervention for college students that uses tailored messaging to impact health behaviors.

Gloriana Rodriguez-Arauz

Gloriana Rodriguez-Arauz (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Costa Rica. Broadly, her research interest is studying the intersection between cultural and social variables with health behavior. Currently she works on exploring the influence of culture on food parenting practices and healthy eating in preschool Latino and White-European children.

Sonya Grier

Sonya Grier (PhD) is Professor of Marketing in the Kogod School of Business at American University. She conducts interdisciplinary research on topics related to target marketing, race in the marketplace, the social impact of commercial marketing, and social marketing. Her current research investigates the relationship between marketing activities and consumer health and well-being.

Osei Appiah

Osei Appiah (PhD) is Professor and Associate Director in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. He conducts research to provide a better understanding of the theoretical underpinnings and psychological mechanisms at work when people are exposed to ethnic-specific messages in the media. He also examines advertising effects on ethnic minority audiences, and the impact of cultural identity on audiences’ responses to advertising and strategic communication messages.