The effect of influencer marketing of food and a “protective” advertising disclosure on children's food intake

Abstract

Summary Background Children are active on social media and consequently are exposed to new and subtle forms of food marketing. Objectives To examine whether exposure to a YouTube video featuring influencer marketing of an unhealthy snack affects children's ad libitum snack intake and whether inclusion of an advertising disclosure moderates this effect. Methods In a randomized between‐subjects design, 151 children (aged 9‐11 y; mean, 10.32 y ± 0.6) were exposed to influencer marketing of a non‐food product (n = 51), or an unhealthy snack with (n = 50) or without (n = 50) an advertising disclosure. Participants' ad libitum intake of the marketed snack and an alternative brand of the same snack was measured. Results Children exposed to food marketing with (P < .001, d = 1.40) and without (P < .001, d = 1.07) a disclosure consumed more (kcals) of the marketed snack relative to the alternative; the control did not differ (.186, d = 0.45). Consumption of the alterative brand did not differ across conditions (.287, ηp2 = .02). Children who viewed food marketing with a disclosure (and not those without) consumed 41% more of the marketed snack (.004, ηp2 = .06), compared with control. Conclusions Influencer marketing increases children's immediate intake of the promoted snack relative to an alternative brand. Advertising disclosures may enhance the effect.

“It’s Just Addictive People That Make Addictive Videos”: Children’s Understanding of and Attitudes towards Influencer Marketing of Food and Beverages by YouTube Video Bloggers

“…The male YouTuber had a subscriber count of approximately 11 million across his three YouTube channels, and the female YouTuber a total of 16 million subscribers across her two YouTube channels. The YouTubers' viewer demographics are not publicly available but they are known to be popular with children (5-15 years) in the UK [73] and are consistent with those used in previous experimental studies investigating the extent, nature and impact of influencer food marketing [14,22,23]. Notably, the influencer marketing campaign shown was featured in content likely to be viewed by children, and not in content specifically targeted at them (e.g., YouTube Kids app), where self-regulation should prohibit exposure [74].…”

“…Notably, an account is not required for users to view videos on YouTube. In addition, children use parents' accounts, and fake appetitive response can be influenced by HFSS product marketing [22,[56][57][58][59]. In order for children to defend against the effects of food and beverage advertising, the food marketing defence model [52] asserts that four conditions must be satisfied: awareness of advertising, understanding of its persuasive intent, and the ability and the motivation to resist.…”

“…It is suggested that products featured in receipt of brand payment should be disclosed with '#ad' [63] and those in receipt of brand gifting with '#gifted' [64]. However, research shows that children (9-11-years) exposed to influencer marketing of a HFSS product, even with the presence of an advertising disclosure, increase immediate intake compared with those in a control group [22]. Qualitative research with children (9 and 12 years) shows that subscribers of a YouTuber viewed their marketing of a beauty product as an indication of competence and popularity, whereas non-subscribers remarked on their incompetence and were critical of the commercialisation of YouTubers in general [36].…”

“…Industry spend on this form of marketing is predicted to increase from $500 million per year in 2018 to $5-$10 billion per year in 2023 [18].Children are frequently exposed to influencer marketing of HFSS food and beverage products and brands on social media [14,[19][20][21]. This is a concern given that evidence suggests that exposure, via Instagram [22] and YouTube [23], increases children's (9-11 years) immediate consumption of HFSS products, compared with exposure to equivalent marketing of non-food products. However, little is known about the theoretical or psychological underpinnings of these effects.…”

Digital Food Marketing to Young People: A Substantial Public Health Challenge

“…Similarly, brands are able to leverage the power of social media influencers to propagate their messages, and it appears to work. In a recent study, when children (9-11 years) were exposed to influencer marketing of unhealthy foods via YouTube, they consumed significantly more of the marketed snack relative to the alternative brand [32], demonstrating a brand-specific effect that was not tempered by the presence of a disclosure informing children that they were viewing marketing content. When the exposure was to influencer marketing via Instagram, a non-specific effect on intake was found whereby children consumed almost 100 kcal more than the control group at a subsequent snack opportunity where the marketed foods were not available [33].…”