Prevalence and comparisons of alcohol, candy, energy drink, snack, soda, and restaurant brand and product marketing on Twitch, Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming.

Caitlyn G Edwards,John W Long,Travis D Masterson,Catherine C Pollack,Sara J Pritschet,Keally Haushalter

doi:10.1017/s1368980021004420

Caitlyn G Edwards, John W Long + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980021004420

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Abstract

To compare and evaluate the prevalence of food and beverage marketing on the livestreaming platforms Twitch, Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming, as well as examine growth of food and beverage marketing on these platforms over a 17-month period of data collection. Cross-sectional data were analysed across three livestreaming platforms and six food and beverage categories: alcohol, candy, energy drinks, snacks, sodas and restaurants. Stream titles of livestreamed events as well as corresponding hours watched on Twitch, Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming. None. There were significant differences between the use of food and beverage brand mentions in stream titles across all three studied platforms (P < 0·05), as well as hours watched across platforms (P < 0·05). Energy drinks dominated food and beverage brand mentions across platforms, followed by restaurants, soda and snacks. All platforms demonstrated growth over the 17-month data collection period. Post-hoc analyses revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted both immediate and sustained growth across all platforms, with the greatest impact observed on the Twitch platform. Food and beverage marketing as measured through stream titles is widely prevalent across the three most popular livestreaming platforms, particularly for energy drinks. Food marketing on these platforms experienced growth over the past 17 months which was accelerated substantially by the COVID-19 pandemic. Future work should assess the sustained impact this growth may have on marketing practices and eating behaviour.

Highlights

IntroductionThe underlying mechanism that contributes to weight gain is the consumption of energy in excess of the body’s homeostatic needs[2]
Rates of overweight and obesity continue to rise worldwide[1]
There was a significant difference in the number of food and beverage brands from any category mentioned in stream titles (χ2 = 900.7, df = 10, p

Summary

Introduction

The underlying mechanism that contributes to weight gain is the consumption of energy in excess of the body’s homeostatic needs[2]. Excess consumption of energy can be driven by a number of factors, one of which includes the endemic presence of marketing for food and beverages in everyday life[3]. Recent and rapid advancements in technology and shifts in entertainment platforms have contributed to the development of innovative marketing techniques, exacerbating the impacts of the so-called “obesogenic environment”(6–8). It is vital that the prevalence of food marketing and the techniques employed by food companies on new platforms, such as social media, are monitored to understand the reach and potential impact on food choice and eating behavior

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