Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research was to determine if, based on gender, adolescents were exposed to different marketing techniques that promoted food and beverages over social media. Design: A secondary analysis of adolescent boy (n=26) and girl (n=36) exposures (n=139) to food and beverage marketing was conducted. Mann-Whitney U and Fisher exact tests were conducted to compare the number, healthfulness, and the marketing techniques of exposures viewed by boys and girls. Setting: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Subjects: 62 adolescents aged 12-16 Results: Boys and girls were exposed to similar volumes of food marketing instances (median=2 for both boys and girls, Mann Whitney U=237, p=0.51) per 10-minute period of social media use. More girls viewed products that were excessive in total fat compared to boys (67% vs 35%, p=0.02). Boys were more likely to view instances of food marketing featuring a male as the dominant user (50% vs 22%, p=0.03), appeals to achievement (42% vs 17%, p=0.04), an influencer (42% vs 14%, p=0.02), and appeals to athleticism (35% vs 11%, p=0.03), whereas girls were more likely to view instances of food marketing featuring quizzes, surveys, or polls (25% versus 0%, p=0.01). Conclusions: Food and beverage companies utilize marketing techniques that differ based on gender. More research examining the relationship between digital food and beverage marketing and gender is required to inform the development of gender-sensitive policies aimed at protecting adolescents from unhealthy food marketing.

Examining differences in children and adolescents' exposure to food and beverage marketing in Canada by sociodemographic characteristics: Findings from the International Food Policy Study Youth Survey, 2020

“…Data from the IFPS Youth survey in Canada and across multiple countries confirms similar patterns, with girls reporting more time spent on social media and boys reporting more time spent playing video games 40 . Despite gender differences in media use, it is known that food companies use strategic techniques to tailor marketing by gender, such as featuring actors or characters of the target gender or portraying gender‐stereotypical concepts such as sports and athleticism or appealing to beauty 23,41 . Future research should investigate the extent to which the gender differences identified in this study are a result of intentional gender‐targeted marketing.…”

Food marketing on digital platforms: what do teens see?

“…Participants also captured hundreds of food advertisements from Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, with Snapchat and TikTok more likely to be reported by girls. That Instagram ranks as a top platform for all teen genders has been observed elsewhere (30) , as has teen girls' higher preference for Snapchat (compared with boys) and teen boys' higher preference for YouTube (compared with girls) (30) .…”

Beyond the Screen: Exploring the Dynamics of Social Media Influencers, Food Marketing, and Gendered Influences on Adolescent Diets

“…The use of songs or music, the use of other in uencers, appealing to fun or cool, viral marketing, appeals to beauty, and the presence of teens were marketing techniques more commonly used by SMIs popular with females, whereas SMIs popular with males more commonly featured calls-to-action (prompts for additional actions beyond the initial advertisement ( 44)), and price promotions. Creating techniques that appeal to an intended audience can include the use of gender stereotypes and norms (25). Recent research has found that a small sample (n = 139) of boys and girls aged 12 to 16 were exposed to statistically different marketing techniques based on their gender, suggesting targeted marketing (25).…”

“…Creating techniques that appeal to an intended audience can include the use of gender stereotypes and norms (25). Recent research has found that a small sample (n = 139) of boys and girls aged 12 to 16 were exposed to statistically different marketing techniques based on their gender, suggesting targeted marketing (25). The public health impact of targeted marketing is signi cant, as it can create health disparities (45).…”