Abstract
Exposure to influencer marketing of foods and beverages high in fat, sugar, and/or salt (HFSS) increases children’s immediate intake. This study qualitatively explored children’s understanding of, and attitudes towards, this marketing, to elucidate potential mechanisms through which exposure affects behavior. In six focus groups (n = 4) children (10–11 years) were shown a YouTube video featuring influencer marketing of an HFSS product. Inductive thematic analysis identified six themes from children’s discussions of this marketing: (1) YouTubers fill a gap in children’s lives, (2) the accessibility of YouTubers increases children’s understanding of their actions, (3) influencer marketing impacts all—the influencer, the brand, and the viewer, (4) attitudes towards influencer marketing are most affected by a YouTuber’s familiarity, (5) YouTuber influencer marketing is effective because they are not ‘strangers’, (6) children feel able to resist influencer marketing of HFSS products. Children had an understanding of the persuasive intent of this marketing, and although most were sceptical, familiar YouTubers elicited particularly sympathetic attitudes. Children felt affected by influencer marketing of HFSS products, but believed they were able to resist it. Beyond theoretical insight, this study adds to the growing body of evidence to suggest children’s exposure to HFSS influencer marketing should be reduced.
Highlights
Exposure to food and beverages high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) is widely acknowledged as a risk factor for the development of obesity and other non-communicable diseases in children [1,2,3].Systematic reviews highlight the detrimental effects of HFSS product marketing on young people (0–18 years), including increased preferences for, and consumption of, these items [4,5]
Based on the identified gaps in knowledge, the following research questions were formulated for this study: (1) What are children’s perceptions of YouTubers? (2) What is children’s understanding of, and attitudes towards, the techniques used in influencer marketing of HFSS products? (3) What is children’s understanding of, and attitudes towards, the behavioural effects of this marketing?
Data were only coded if they were relevant to the three main research questions (1) children’s perceptions of YouTubers (2) children’s understanding of, and attitudes towards, the techniques used in influencer marketing of HFSS products and (3) children’s understanding of and attitude towards the behavioural effects of this marketing
Summary
Systematic reviews highlight the detrimental effects of HFSS product marketing on young people (0–18 years), including increased preferences for, and consumption of, these items [4,5]. They highlight significant gaps in research to date, notably a lack of qualitative studies exploring how newer forms of digital marketing (e.g., influencer marketing) are received by children [6]. YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms with children, despite users being required to be a minimum age of 13 years in order to create an account [7].
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