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Cited by 36Media, Gender, and AdvertisingConsumer Perception and Purchasing BehaviorConsumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification

Skin color shades in advertising to ethnic audiences: The case of African Americans

Watson, Stevie, Thornton, Corliss G., Engelland, Brian T.·2010·Journal of Marketing Communications
DOI 10.1080/13527260802707585
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Abstract

Two experimental studies were conducted to examine African Americans' (AA) perceptions and attitudes toward light-skinned and dark-skinned AA female models in print advertisements. Using convenience student samples from three universities in the southeastern USA, the first study examined the perceptions and attitudes of 299 AA males toward the advertising stimuli, while the second study explored the perceptions and attitudes of 251 AA females to the same stimuli. In Study 1, consistent with marketplace, evolutionary and reinforcement theories, AA males evaluated light-skinned AA female models higher on physical attractiveness and more favorably on ad- and brand-based evaluations than dark-skinned AA female models. The exploratory results of Study 2 found that AA females evaluated dark-skinned AA female models higher on physical attractiveness than light-skinned AA female models, but no significant differences on ad- and brand-based evaluations were reported. The authors discuss the findings, limitations and directions for future research.

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  • Experimental research from the US showed that Black men rated the same set of advertising images featuring Black women as significantly more attractive when their skin was digitally lightened compared with when their skin was digitally darkened.

    “Experimental research from the US showed that Black men rated the same set of advertising images featuring Black women as significantly more attractive when their skin was digitally lightened compared with when their skin was digitally darkened (Watson et al., 2010).”

    From Skin shade and relationships: how colourism pits Black and mixed Black-White women against each other (2024) · cites this paper as Watson et al., 2010

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Authors
Watson, S., Thornton, C. G., & Engelland, B. T.
Affiliations
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
  • Georgia State University (US)
  • Mississippi State University (US)
Corresponding author
Watson, Stevie
Venue
Journal of Marketing Communications
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2010-03-02
Volume
16
Issue
4
Pages
185-201
ISSN
  • 1352-7266 (ISSN-L)
  • 1466-4445
DOI
10.1080/13527260802707585
OpenAlex
W1989470283
Cited by
36
References
96
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
FWCI
3.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Journal of Marketing Communications (publishedVersion)
Funders
American Academy of Advertising
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Media, Gender, and Advertising
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
Keywords
skin color, African Americans, print advertising, female models, physical attractiveness, brand evaluation, gender differences, evolutionary theory, reinforcement theory

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