Media, Advertising and Inventing (Anna)rexia.

Too many Australians suffer from poor body image and eating disorders. The Israeli, French and Norwegian Governments have created body image legislation to try to address this: it responds to concerns that the countless images of thin women people see can contribute to poor body image. By contrast, Australia does not have a Body Image Law: it has a voluntary code that the advertising industry generally does not follow. This article argues that Australia should enact a Body Image Law that reflects health evidence that body image needs to be improved. The Body Image Law would require disclaimers on images that were not retouched, create a specialised government body to evaluate images and attract civil penalties for breaching it. The authors believe that this is the first Australian article to suggest an Australian Body Image Law of this kind.

Recruiting refugees to reduce labour shortages in health care professions: experimental evidence on the potential of foreign-language outreach on social media.

BACKGROUND: Many high-income countries are grappling with severe labour shortages in the healthcare sector. Refugees and recent migrants present a potential pool for staff recruitment due to their higher unemployment rates, younger age, and lower average educational attainment compared to the host society's labour force. Despite this, refugees and recent migrants, often possessing limited language skills in the destination country, are frequently excluded from traditional recruitment campaigns conducted solely in the host country's language. Even those with intermediate language skills may feel excluded, as destination-country language advertisements are perceived as targeting only native speakers. This study experimentally assesses the effectiveness of a recruitment campaign for nursing positions in a German care facility, specifically targeting Arabic and Ukrainian speakers through Facebook advertisements. METHODS: We employ an experimental design (AB test) approximating a randomized controlled trial, utilizing Facebook as the delivery platform. We compare job advertisements for nursing positions in the native languages of Arabic and Ukrainian speakers (treatment) with the same advertisements displayed in German (control) for the same target group in the context of a real recruitment campaign for nursing jobs in Berlin, Germany. Our evaluation includes comparing link click rates, visits to the recruitment website, initiated applications, and completed applications, along with the unit cost of these indicators. We assess statistical significance in group differences using the Chi-squared test. RESULTS: We find that recruitment efforts in the origin language were 5.6 times (Arabic speakers) and 1.9 times (Ukrainian speakers) more effective in initiating nursing job applications compared to the standard model of German-only advertisements among recent migrants and refugees. Overall, targeting refugees and recent migrants was 2.4 (Ukrainians) and 10.8 (Arabic) times cheaper than targeting the reference group of German speakers indicating higher interest among these groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results underscore the substantial benefits for employers in utilizing targeted recruitment via social media aimed at foreign-language communities within the country. This strategy, which is low-cost and low effort compared to recruiting abroad or investing in digitalization, has the potential for broad applicability in numerous high-income countries with sizable migrant communities. Increased employment rates among underemployed refugee and migrant communities, in turn, contribute to reducing poverty, social exclusion, public expenditure, and foster greater acceptance of newcomers within the receiving society.

Misinformation surrounding sodium reduction for blood pressure: content analysis of Japanese posts on X.

This content analysis aimed to assess misinformation themes regarding sodium reduction and blood pressure on X with the goal of providing strategies to address and debunk such misinformation. A total of 531 posts were manually coded into sodium-related misinformation themes, with inclusion criteria for posts asserting no association between sodium reduction and hypertension or claiming consuming sodium is beneficial for health. Numbers and post frequencies per misinformation theme were calculated. Post characteristics, including information sources, advertisements and narratives, were coded, and a correlation analysis was conducted to assess their association with each misinformation theme. Fourteen sodium-related misinformation themes were identified and consistently disseminated on X. The predominant theme, 'Natural Salt', accounted for 37.7% (n = 200), reaching 1.6 million followers, followed by 'Reducing salt could be bad for my health' theme, comprising 28.6% (n = 152) and reaching 1.5 million followers. There was a statistical correlation between the natural salt misinformation theme and advertisements. Many of the most frequent misinformation themes identified in this study have not been systematically debunked by organizations such as the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association. This study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and analysis of sodium-related misinformation on social media platforms and their underlying commercial interests. Such monitoring has the potential to identify prevalent misinformation themes that may pose harm to the public and to inform public health organizations, enabling them to proactively address potential issues through debunking.

Research on cooperative advertising strategies for dual channel supply chain of fresh agricultural products considering carbon reduction efficiency under retailer leadership.

With the development of low-carbon economy and the dominant position of retailers, through the establishment and comparison of three cooperative advertising models: model of supplier's independent advertising, model of supplier's independent advertising and model of retailer's and supplier's cooperative advertising, this paper studies the cooperative advertising decision-making of fresh agricultural products supply chain with two channels, and the demand of both channels is affected by the level of advertising investment, the proportion of advertising cost sharing and the efficiency of carbon emission reduction. The results show that when supplier and retailer adopt the two-way cooperative advertising mode, the demand and profit level of the two channels reach the optimal level. Numerical analysis shows that carbon emission reduction efficiency has an important impact on profits and market demand, which is closely related to cooperative advertising strategy.

Companies inadvertently fund online misinformation despite consumer backlash.

The financial motivation to earn advertising revenue has been widely conjectured to be pivotal for the production of online misinformation1-4. Research aimed at mitigating misinformation has so far focused on interventions at the user level5-8, with little emphasis on how the supply of misinformation can itself be countered. Here we show how online misinformation is largely financed by advertising, examine how financing misinformation affects the companies involved, and outline interventions for reducing the financing of misinformation. First, we find that advertising on websites that publish misinformation is pervasive for companies across several industries and is amplified by digital advertising platforms that algorithmically distribute advertising across the web. Using an information-provision experiment9, we find that companies that advertise on websites that publish misinformation can face substantial backlash from their consumers. To examine why misinformation continues to be monetized despite the potential backlash for the advertisers involved, we survey decision-makers at companies. We find that most decision-makers are unaware that their companies' advertising appears on misinformation websites but have a strong preference to avoid doing so. Moreover, those who are unaware and uncertain about their company's role in financing misinformation increase their demand for a platform-based solution to reduce monetizing misinformation when informed about how platforms amplify advertising placement on misinformation websites. We identify low-cost, scalable information-based interventions to reduce the financial incentive to misinform and counter the supply of misinformation online.

Intention to Quit Tobacco due to Media Advertisements in India: Findings from Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016-17.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco has been among the most important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In reducing tobacco consumption, media campaigns are crucial in raising awareness and encouraging individuals to quit. The present study aimed to profile participants of GATS-2, including tobacco usage patterns and media exposure, and explore the factors associated with quitting in the presence of media exposure. METHODS: Secondary data analysis of Global Adult Tobacco Survey-India (2016-17) data was done among current daily cigarette smokers and smokeless tobacco users. The primary independent variable was an intention to quit, while media exposure was the primary independent variable. Respondents were profiled as per various socio-demographic variables, and exposure to media advertisements and intention to quit were assessed using weighted bivariate analysis and multivariate log regression analysis. RESULTS: Males, and respondents aged 15 to 45, had more exposure to media and advertisements than female respondents. Cigarette smokers with moderate consumption, better awareness, those who had made any quit attempts in the last 12 months, and moderate to high media exposure depicted better intention to quit. In SLT users, intention to quit depicted significant odds per education level quit attempts and exposure to media and advertisements. CONCLUSION: We report a high intention to quit among those exposed to advertisements. Media campaigns play an important role in promoting tobacco control. There is a need to assess the impact of such advertisements on behavioral aspects. At the same time, comprehensive tobacco control policies should go hand in hand in reducing smoking rates.

Size-inclusive advertising in the Asian fashion market: Female consumers' responses to a plus-size vs. Thin-size model in South Korea.

Global fashion brands have embraced size-inclusive advertising featuring plus-size models, yet the responses of Asian consumers to such advertising-where the average body size of women is smaller than in Western markets-have garnered little attention. This study, utilizing the S-O-R model, aimed to investigate whether the relationships among perceived actual and ideal self-congruence, perceived attractiveness and familiarity of a fashion model, and purchase intention vary based on the body size of the fashion model. We tested the hypothesized relationships using ANCOVA, confirmatory factor analysis, and multi-group structural equation modeling, analyzing 623 online survey responses from South Korean female consumers. Actual self-congruence had a greater influence on perceived familiarity in consumers exposed to a thin-sized model compared to those exposed to a plus-sized model. In contrast, ideal self-congruence had a more significant positive impact on the perceived physical attractiveness of the plus-size model than the thin-size model. Furthermore, the plus-size model's perceived physical attractiveness had a more significant positive effect on purchase intention than that of the thin-size model. This study highlights the importance of crafting advertising images that portray plus-size models as physically attractive to elicit favorable responses from Asian consumers.

Exposure to anti- and pro-smoking messages among adults in China: Results from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2018.

SIGNIFICANCE: For decades, tobacco advertisements and promotions have been common in mass media and public places in China. In 2015, China amended the Advertising Law to prohibit the distribution of tobacco advertising, while also initiating waves of tobacco control media campaigns. This study investigates the associations between exposure to anti- and pro-smoking messages, smoking status, and people's smoking-related beliefs and willingness to support tobacco control policies. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was performed with the 2018 Global Adult Tobacco Survey of 19,376 adults aged ≥15 years in China. Anti- and pro-smoking message exposures were measured as the sum of sources (media or places) where respondents have seen the messages. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among smoking status, message exposure, and the outcome variables (health harm beliefs, support for increasing tax on cigarettes, support for using part of the increased tax on tobacco control) controlling for smoking status and demographic differences. RESULTS: Overall, 63.3% of the respondents reported being exposed to anti-smoking messages from at least 1 source, while 18.1% were exposed to pro-smoking messages from at least 1 source. Adults who currently, formerly, and never smoked differed in their beliefs about smoking and willingness to support tobacco control policies. Greater reported exposure to anti-smoking messages was positively associated with belief that smoking is harmful, support for increased cigarette tax, and support for using increased tax revenue for tobacco control measures. Meanwhile, greater reported exposure to pro-smoking messages was negatively related to willingness to support cigarette tax increases. CONCLUSIONS: While national and local tobacco control campaigns in China have reached a large proportion of the adult population, there is still room for improvement. China might consider expanding anti-tobacco campaigns, as reported exposure to these messages is associated with increased public awareness of the health hazards of smoking and support for increasing cigarette taxes.

Falling into the trap: A study of the cognitive neural mechanisms of immediate rewards impact on consumer attitudes toward forwarding perk advertisements.

In the context of digital marketing, consumers often express aversion to perk advertisements yet find it challenging to resist the temptation and forward it, resulting in inconsistent attitudes and behaviors. This study, based on the Associative Propositional Evaluation model and the Confirmation Bias theory, utilizes event-related potential experiments to identify the interactive impacts of immediate rewards and information diagnosticity in advertisements on consumer attitude change in specific contexts. The research findings indicate that when rewards were present, information diagnosticity positively influences attitude change and the willingness to forward. However, when rewards were absent, the impact of information diagnosticity on attitude change and the willingness to forward is not significant, and neuroscientific evidence supports these findings. Theoretically, this study extends the research perspective on attitude change in online advertising contexts and broadens the application of the Associative Propositional Evaluation model in the field of consumer attitude change towards advertisements. In practice, this research holds significant guiding value for constraining platform manipulation of consumer cognitive behaviors, guiding the healthy development of platform economics, and promoting digital technology ethics.

Alcohol Advertising Exposure and Drinking Habits Among Chinese Adolescents in 2021: A National Survey.

Objectives. To assess the exposure of Chinese adolescents to proalcohol advertising and explore its association with alcohol consumption. Methods. A nationally and regionally representative school-based survey was conducted in mainland China in 2021 among students in grades 7 through 12, aged 13 to 18 years. We assessed adolescent exposure to proalcohol advertising and its association with alcohol consumption. Results. A total of 57 336 students participated in the survey, and the exposure percentage of proalcohol advertising was 66.8%, with no difference between boys and girls or between urban and rural areas. The top 3 exposure channels were television (51.8%), the Internet (43.6%), and outdoor billboards (42.0%). The exposure was higher among students who had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days (80.1% vs 65.1%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.29) and in the past 12 months (77.3% vs 61.7%; AOR = 1.30). However, no significant correlation was observed between advertising exposure and drunkenness. Conclusions. Approximately two thirds of Chinese adolescents have been exposed to proalcohol advertising in the past 30 days, with television, the Internet, and outdoor billboards being the most prevalent channels. Exposure to proalcohol advertising exhibits a positive correlation with drinking. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(8):814-823. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307680).

[Digital marketing of commercial infant formula in Argentina: a digital ethnographic study]. / Marketing digital de fórmulas comerciales infantiles en Argentina: un estudio etnográfico digital.

Although evidence of the benefits of breastfeeding is widespread, there are several challenges to initiate and sustain it. Infant formula companies use marketing strategies that violate existing regulations, contributing to its early abandonment. We explore the digital marketing exposure of infant formulas in Argentina by analyzing people's interactions with brands and the traces of these interactions in conversations engaged in Facebook groups during 2022, from a qualitative approach based on digital ethnography. Results show that companies deploy regulatory avoidance tactics and seek contact with mothers. Users do not interact with the accounts but are exposed to their strategies given the correlation between product attributes present in advertising with their motivations and aspirations. The mediators between marketing and mothers are medical professionals, used as marketing resources. We conclude that authorities should promote new agreements on the practices of medical professionals and develop regulations taking into account digital environments.

Si bien es extendida la evidencia de los beneficios de la lactancia materna, diversos son los desafíos para iniciarla y sostenerla. Las empresas productoras de fórmulas infantiles utilizan estrategias de marketing violatorias de las regulaciones existentes, contribuyendo a su temprano abandono. Exploramos la exposición al marketing digital de las fórmulas infantiles en Argentina mediante el análisis de las interacciones de la población con las marcas y las huellas de dichas interacciones en conversaciones entabladas en grupos de Facebook durante 2022, desde un enfoque cualitativo basado en la etnografía digital. Los resultados muestran que las empresas despliegan tácticas elusivas de las regulaciones y buscan el contacto con las madres. Las usuarias no interactúan con las cuentas, pero están expuestas a sus estrategias dado el correlato entre los atributos del producto presentes en la publicidad con sus motivaciones y aspiraciones. Los mediadores entre el marketing y las madres son los profesionales médicos, utilizados como recursos del marketing. Concluimos que las autoridades deben promover nuevos acuerdos sobre las prácticas de los profesionales médicos y desarrollar regulaciones teniendo en cuenta los entornos digitales.

The rise and fall of the Queensland Government policy to restrict unhealthy food and alcohol advertising on publicly owned assets.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the strategies employed by opponents of the Queensland Government's policy to restrict unhealthy food and alcohol advertising on publicly owned assets and identify which of the opposing arguments appeared to influence the policy outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective qualitative policy analysis case study informed by the Policy Dystopia Model of corporate political activity. We used qualitative content analysis to examine data from stakeholder submissions to the 'Advertising content on Queensland Government advertising spaces' policies (v1 and 2), and Minister for Health's diaries. RESULTS: Stakeholders from the food, beverage, alcohol and advertising industries and several not-for-profit health organisations opposed the policy. Industry actors used discursive strategies, coalition management (including co-option of not-for-profit health organisations), information management and direct involvement with policy makers to communicate their arguments against the policy. The second version of the policy was weaker regarding scope and key policy provisions, reflecting the arguments of industry actors. CONCLUSIONS: Influence from industries with a clear conflict of interest should be minimised throughout policy development to ensure public health is prioritised over corporate gain. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Our findings can support other jurisdictions to prepare for industry opposition when designing policies to restrict unhealthy food and alcohol marketing.

Are diverse models really non-idealized? Investigating body positivity public feed posts of fashion and beauty brands on instagram.

Research increasingly explores body positive (BoPo) messaging and diverse model representation in advertising. Fashion and beauty brands are incorporating diverse models in traditional media to address criticisms of promoting narrow appearance ideals, yet their social media communications remain understudied. This content analytical study (n = 460 models, 16 brands) analyzes BoPo messages and diverse model representation in fashion and beauty brands' Instagram posts. Variations according to the brands' reputation, posts' framing, and posts' popularity were considered. Results showed that although diverse models appeared to be prominently featured in the brands' Instagram posts (71.50%; n = 329), the majority of these posts displayed only one aspect of diversity. Racial diversity was the most represented diversity trait (76.29%, n = 251), while body (32.80%, n = 151), facial (12.10%, n = 38), and generational diversity (22.50%, n = 73) were limited. The sexualization frame (88.70%, n = 408) prevailed over the empowerment frame (32.40%, n = 149). Positive changes were noted with the empowerment frame significantly relating to the representation of diverse models. Yet, this study also highlighted that such positive messages still co-occur with negative messages as an empowerment frame co-occurred with a highly prevalent sexualization frame.

Exposure to user-generated e-cigarette content on social media associated with greater vulnerability to e-cigarette use among youth non-users.

INTRODUCTION: Social media are important venues for youth's exposure to e-cigarette content. This study examined how exposure to user-generated e-cigarette content (i.e., content created and shared by individual social media users) is associated with vulnerabilities to e-cigarette use among youth non-users. METHODS: We pooled data from the 2021 and 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Youth who have never used e-cigarettes were included. Weighted linear and logistic regressions were conducted to examine how exposure to user-generated e-cigarette content (from real-life friends, online-only friends, and celebrities/influencers) on social media was associated with e-cigarette use vulnerabilities measured by perceived norms, perceived risk, and susceptibility of use, controlling for demographics, advertising exposure, and mental health conditions. Multiple imputations were performed to account for missing data. RESULTS: Exposure to e-cigarette content on social media posted by real-life friends, online-only friends, and celebrities/influencers were associated with more positive descriptive norm (ßs = 1.56, 0.37, and 0.35, respectively, all ps < .001), more positive injunctive norm (ßs = 0.46, 0.19, and 0.10, respectively, all ps < .001), and higher odds of e-cigarette use susceptibility (ORs = 1.48, 1.50. 1.29, respectively, all ps < .001). Exposure to content posted by real-life and online-only friends were associated with reduced risk perception of e-cigarette use (ß = -0.04, p < 0.05 and ß = -0.07, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlighted that friends and celebrities/influencers are important sources on social media that can influence youth non-users' vulnerabilities to e-cigarette use. Interventional messages communicated through friends and influencers on social media may in turn help reduce e-cigarette vulnerability among youth non-users.

Drug Promotions Between Ethics, Regulations, and Financial Interests.

BACKGROUND: The promotion of the latest medicines produced by the pharmaceutical industry is an important issue both from an ethical point of view (the level of accessibility, the way research is carried out) and from the point of view of marketing and especially from the lobbying issues raised. AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY: The ethical dilemmas raised by the promotion of new drugs revolve between the need to discover new molecules important for treating a wide range of diseases and the need to establish a battery of ethical rules, absolutely necessary for regulations in the field to be compliant with all ethical principles. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was conducted through PubMed, MEDLINE, Plus, Scopus, and Web of Science (2015-2023) using combinations of keywords, including drugs, medical publicity, and pharma marketing plus ethical dilemma. ETHICS AND THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES: The promotion of medicines is governed by advertising laws and regulations in many countries, including at EU level, based on the need for countries to ensure that the promotion and advertising of medicines is truthful, based on information understood by consumers. The ethical analysis of the issues raised is more necessary and complex as the channels used for promotion are more accessible to the population, and the information, easier to obtain, can be the cause of increased self-medication and overeating. Large amounts of money invested in the development of new molecules, but also the risk of scientific fraud through manipulation of data during clinical trials, selective or biased publication of information can have repercussions on the health of the population. CONCLUSIONS: The development of new pharmaceutical molecules is necessary to intervene and treat as many conditions as possible, but marketing must not neglect the observance of ethical principles. The promotion of medicines should be the attribute especially of the medical staff, which should also be a mandatory part of the mechanism for approving the marketing methods and means used by the pharmaceutical companies.

The underbelly of E-cigarette advertising: regulating online markets on social media platforms.

Australia prohibits the sale of nicotine-vaping products unless prescribed by medical practitioners. Significant policy reforms were announced on the 28th of November 2023 including a ban on single-use disposable vapes with and without nicotine, and the removal of the personal importation scheme. Despite stringent regulations, loopholes exist such that e-cigarette vendors are getting around it, and online markets provide a route to do so. We discuss strategies used by vendors to covertly market e-cigarettes online through social media. In this perspective, we highlight three proposed policies to strengthen social media regulations that may be feasible to implement. Our proposed strategies to regulate e-cigarette product listings on social media involve implementing robust age verification measures, enhancing the system for flagging and reporting prohibited content, and developing a more effective system to identify and flag content related to e-cigarettes.

Neighborhood Inequities in Tobacco Product Descriptors, Washington, DC, 2018-2019.

BACKGROUND: The tobacco industry uses product descriptors to communicate reduced harm and increase appeal. This cross-sectional study assessed store-level racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities in the distribution of retail tobacco product descriptors in a convenience sample of retailers in Washington, DC. METHODS: Young adults (n = 146) who did not currently use tobacco reported real-time store visits over 14 days. Trained data collectors took high-resolution photographs of all tobacco (including e-cigarette) marketing in each store (n = 96) participants visited. We coded text descriptors on tobacco product advertisements and displays into descriptor categories (eg, fruit, sweet, concept). We fit multilevel models to examine relationships between store neighborhood census tract-level racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic characteristics and tobacco product descriptors in stores. As a supplementary analysis, we used geospatial methods to model predicted patterns of descriptors at the census tract level. RESULTS: Stores located in census tracts with the highest versus lowest percentage of Black residents had a greater count of fruit, sweet or dessert, alcohol, and concept descriptors (p < .05), similar to findings from the geospatial approach. Adjusted models also indicated some inequities in stores in census tracts with higher percentages of Hispanic or Latino residents for fruit, alcohol, and concept descriptors; however, tract-level models showed opposite results for concept flavors. CONCLUSIONS: In this convenience sample, fruit, alcohol, sweet/dessert, and concept FTP descriptors were prevalent in stores in neighborhoods with more Black residents demonstrated through two analytic approaches. Surveillance using representative samples of tobacco retailers could improve the ability to track the extent of this inequity. IMPLICATIONS: We document inequities in the amount of fruit, sweet or dessert, alcohol, and concept flavor descriptors in stores across neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Federal, state, and local regulatory action is needed to reduce inequities in flavored tobacco product availability and marketing, including for concept flavors.

Measuring the effectiveness of online search ads on blood donor recruitment and donation.

BACKGROUND: Acutely highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tenuousness of the blood supply continues to be a lynchpin of the most important medical procedures. Online advertisements have become a mainstay in donor recruitment. We set out to determine the effectiveness of online search ads and variations thereof on blood donations with an emphasis on first-time donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: From September 01, 2022 through March 31, 2023, we performed a campaign comparison experiment through a major search-ads platform with two distinct messages: one altruistic ("Altruistic") and one with a prospect of rewards ("Promotion"). We developed a method to track donation outcomes and associated them with impressions, click-throughs, and conversions. We compared the performance of the Altruistic and Promotion arms to a control group that was not associated with any search-ads ("Baseline"). RESULTS: Analyzing 34,157 donations during the study period, the Promotion group, and not Altruistic, had a significant difference of first-time donors over Baseline (24% vs. 12%, p = 7e-6). We analyzed 49,305 appointments and discovered that appointments made from the Altruistic arm resulted in a significantly higher percentage of donations when compared to Baseline (57% vs. 53%, p = .009); however, the Promotion group had a higher percentage of donations from first-time donors when compared to Baseline (12% vs. 8%, p = .006). CONCLUSION: We developed a method for determining the effectiveness of online search ads on donation outcomes. Rewards/promotions messaging was most effective at recruiting first-time donors. Our methodology is generalizable to different blood centers to explore messaging effectiveness among their unique communities.