Data on the Facebook marketing strategies used by fast-food chains in four Latin American countries during the COVID-19 lockdowns

Rozas, Lucila; Castronuovo, Luciana; Busse, Peter; Mus, Sophia; Barnoya, Joaquín; Garrón, Alejandra; Tiscornia, María Victoria; Guanieri, Leila

doi:10.1186/s13104-021-05870-8

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(11 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Companies that shifted their marketing dollars to digital media–centric platforms saw significant profit [ 20 ]: ad revenue from companies like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter grew by up to 49% during the first quarter of 2021 [ 21 ]. The extent of pandemic-related social media advertising and marketing tactics have been previously reported [ 22 - 25 ]. Despite companies’ efforts to align with public health initiatives, COVID-washing may contribute to obesogenic environments and increase health risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of COVID-19–related marketing by food and beverage companies has also been documented in Latin America. A content analysis of Facebook posts of 5 fast food chains in Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Peru also documented the use of COVID-19–related marketing strategies during the pandemic [ 22 ], and a study in Brazil documented a high prevalence of unhealthy food advertising on the largest online food delivery platform in Latin America during the fourth month of the COVID-19 pandemic [ 23 ]. No studies, however, have evaluated how food and beverage companies used COVID-washing on social media posts in the United States or analyzed the nutritional content of advertised food and beverage products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

COVID-Washing in US Food and Beverage Marketing on Twitter: Content Analysis

Tsai¹,

Cassidy²,

Arshonsky³

et al. 2022

JMIR Form Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Food companies have increased digital and social media ad expenditures during the COVID-19 pandemic, capitalizing on the coinciding increase in social media use during the pandemic. The extent of pandemic-related social media advertising and marketing tactics have been previously reported. No studies, however, have evaluated how food and beverage companies used COVID-washing on social media posts in the United States or analyzed the nutritional content of advertised food and beverage products. This study was designed to address these gaps by evaluating how food and beverage companies capitalize on the COVID-19 pandemic to promote unhealthy foods and sugary beverages. Objective We aimed to document the types and frequencies of COVID-19–related themes in US food and beverage companies’ Twitter posts during the first wave of the pandemic in the United States, and assess the nutritional quality of food and beverage products featured in these tweets. Methods Research assistants visited the Twitter accounts of the most-marketed food and beverage brands, and screen-captured all tweets posted between March 1 and May 31, 2020. Researchers documented the date of the tweet; the number of likes, views, comments, and “retweets”; and the type of food and beverage products. We coded tweets for the following 10 COVID-19 themes: (1) social distancing, staying home, or working remotely; (2) contactless delivery or pick-up; (3) handwashing or sanitizing; (4) masks; (5) safety or protection; (6) staying connected with others; (7) staying active; (8) frontline or essential workers; (9) monetary relief, donations, or unemployment; and (10) pandemic, unprecedented, or difficult times. Researchers calculated the nutrient profile index scores for featured foods and sorted beverages into categories based on sugar content. Results Our final sample included 874 COVID-19–themed tweets from 52 food and beverage brands. Social distancing themes appeared most frequently (n=367, 42%), followed by pandemic, unprecedented, or difficult times (n=246, 28.2%), and contactless delivery (n=237, 27.1%). The majority of tweets (n=682, 78%) promoted foods and beverages. Among those tweets featuring foods and beverages, 89.6% (n=611) promoted unhealthy products, whereas 17.2% (n=117) promoted healthy products. Conclusions Our findings point to a concerning marketing tactic in which major food and beverage companies promote unhealthy foods and sugary beverages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that nutrition-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes are risk factors for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, food and beverage companies should reduce the promotion of unhealthy products to help decrease the prevalence of health conditions that place people at higher risk for severe illness and death due to COVID-19.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-Washing in US Food and Beverage Marketing on Twitter: Content Analysis

Tsai¹,

Cassidy²,

Arshonsky³

et al. 2022

JMIR Form Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Is it appropriate to import existing food retail environment definitions for the Latin American context? A systematic search and expert knowledge

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exposure and power of TV food advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: a content analysis

Rodrigues,

de Paula Matos,

Oliveira Santana

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background With the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Brazilian population has increased the time spent at home and watching television (TV). Since food advertising exposure is a key driver of food choices, this study described the content of food advertisements (ads) on Brazilian TV during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is an exploratory study. A total of 684 h of TV programming comprised of three free-to-air channels and two pay-per-view channels was recorded from 06 a.m. to 12 a.m. for eight non-consecutive days in June 2020. A content analysis of all the food-related ads was carried out. The data collection process followed INFORMAS Protocol for TV food advertising monitoring. Results The sample was composed of 7,083 ads, 752 (10.6%) of which were food-related and 487 (6.9%) were promoting ultra-processed foods. The content analysis indicated seven thematic categories, all of them with reference to the COVID-19 pandemic: brand and product differentials (79.8%); visual and sound effects (70.2%); thematic campaigns (56.0%); digitization (22.9%); convenience (16.5%); economic benefits (11.9%); and commensality and social interaction (6.1%). Ads content varied according to the day of the week, the time of the day, the length of the ad, and the channel type. Conclusions The thematic of food advertising on Brazilian TV during the COVID-19 pandemic is aligned with the country’s health crisis context and varied during the programming.

show abstract

Data on the Facebook marketing strategies used by fast-food chains in four Latin American countries during the COVID-19 lockdowns

Cited by 7 publications

References 23 publications

COVID-Washing in US Food and Beverage Marketing on Twitter: Content Analysis

COVID-Washing in US Food and Beverage Marketing on Twitter: Content Analysis

Is it appropriate to import existing food retail environment definitions for the Latin American context? A systematic search and expert knowledge

Exposure and power of TV food advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: a content analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About