Latino and Non-Latino White Adolescents' Preferences for Latino-targeted Celeb and Non-celeb Ads

Background: Exposure to food advertisements is a major driver of childhood obesity, and food companies disproportionately target Latino youth with their least healthy products. This study assessed the effects of food/beverage ads featuring Latino celebrities versus Latino non-celebrities on Latino a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Md.), 2021-12, Vol.29, p.22-23
Main Authors: Bragg, Marie, Lutfeali, Samina, Gabler, Daniela, Licona, Diego Quintana, Harris, Jennifer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Celebrities
Ethnicity
Food
Social networks
Teenagers
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Summary:Background: Exposure to food advertisements is a major driver of childhood obesity, and food companies disproportionately target Latino youth with their least healthy products. This study assessed the effects of food/beverage ads featuring Latino celebrities versus Latino non-celebrities on Latino and non-Latino White adolescents.Methods: Latino (n = 430) and White (n = 465) adolescents (13-17 years) participated in an online experiment. They rated four food/ beverage ads for novel brands featuring a Latino celebrity and the same ads featuring a Latino non-celebrity. Multilevel linear regression models compared effects of celebrities and differences between Latino and White participants on attitudes (ad- I i keability; positive affect; brand perceptions) and behavioral intentions (consumption; social media engagement).Results: Latino and White participants rated ads featuring Latino celebrities more positively than ads featuring Latino non-celebrities on all attitude measures (p's < 0.002) and two of four behavioral intentions (p's < 0.05). There were no significant main effects of Latino ethnicity on any measures, but the interaction between celebrity and Latino ethnicity was significant for intentions to follow and "like" on social media (p's < .05). Latino adolescents-but not White adolescents-reported higher willingness to follow brands on social media (p = 0.049) and "like" ads (p = 0.043) endorsed by Latino celebrities versus non-celebrities.Conclusions: Latino and White adolescents preferred food/beverage ads featuring Latino celebrities versus non-celebrities and reported being more likely to consume celebrity-endorsed products. Latino adolescents were more likely to engage with brands on social media if ads featured Latino celebrities versus non-celebrities. Findings reinforce the need to address the disproportionate marketing of unhealthy food to Latino youth.
ISSN:1930-7381
1930-739X