Advertising, Ethnicity/Race in

Exposure to Advertising

Youth may be exposed to advertising on television, DVDs and videotapes, radio, the Internet, and in magazines. It is estimated that children under 14 are exposed to at least 40,000 ads yearly, with African and Hispanic American youth having higher levels of exposure compared to European American youth. The potential power of these advertisements is great, as advertisers estimate that children are directly responsible for $24 billion in purchases and indirectly influence about $188 billion in family purchases.

Representation of Race and Ethnicity in Advertising

Diverse ethnic and racial groups have distinct patterns of inclusion in advertising. Research conducted since 2000 indicates that European Americans are overrepresented in commercials in adult programming and that African, Asian, and Hispanic Americans are underrepresented. More ethnic and racial diversity exists in ads associated with media directed toward children, in which approximately 57% of the advertisements portray participants of diverse groups. In a study of commercials associated with children's programs, European Americans represented 75% of the characters, African Americans represented 20% of the characters, and Latina/o and Asian Americans each accounted for 2% of the characters. Regardless of the media type, Native Americans are virtually invisible in advertising, with participation in the range of [Page 30]5 or 6 characters out of 3,300 in a sample of commercials in children's programming.

The Nature of Racial and Ethnic Portrayals in Advertising

Advertising presents diverse racial and ethnic groups in distinct and limited ways. European Americans are presented as powerful, knowledgeable initiators of action and problem solvers. They are more likely to be spokespeople, providing important information about products. Authority and high status are typically portrayed by European Americans, often in white-only commercials. European Americans are likely to be the only models in important toy ads. European Americans are not stereotyped as a racial group in advertising—they are seen in all types of commercials for all types of products, and they are presented in all types of settings and can appear as adults, teenagers, or children.

The picture is very different for other racial and ethnic groups. Members of these groups have more limited roles, are associated with a restricted number of products, and appear in only a limited number of settings. Since 2000, commercials for financial services and restaurants in adult programming have presented African Americans as attractive and respected adults. But in ads directed to children, African Americans are still more likely to appear as laborers or servicepeople, as entertainers associated with music, or as athletes. They are less likely to have high-status roles, and they do not typically sell personal care products. However, because of the popularity of African American celebrities, there are a few examples of all-black advertisements.

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