Exposure to food advertising via social media influencers and its impacts on cognition, feelings, and behavioural outcomes: The stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) perspective

Young adults are frequently exposed to food advertising, and the messages conveyed in these advertisements (ads) often remain prominent in their minds. The primary objectives of this study were to explore the extent to which young adults’ exposure to food advertising via social media influencers (SMIs) affects their cognition and feelings and to investigate whether watching food ads influences individuals’ intentions and behaviours pertaining to food purchases. The participants in this research were students who were recruited from two public universities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The participants were initially recruited through an invitation link that was distributed via WhatsApp. After the participants submitted consent forms online, they completed a brief questionnaire that aimed to collect demographic information and relevant background data. They also specified a suitable time when interviews could be scheduled. The stimulus‒organism‒response (S–O–R) framework guided this research. Seventeen face-to-face interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. Three primary themes (i.e., exposure, cognition and feelings, and outcomes) were identified, which included subthemes such as unhealthy food, recognition and recall, feelings of hunger, perceived trust, desire to eat, intention to buy and actual purchases. The findings of this research indicate that frequent exposure to food advertising by influencers could trigger cognitive involvement with the ads among participants, which might encourage young adults to remember or identify the advertised food; in turn, this impact may increase their intention to buy unhealthy food. The results also highlight the critical role played by repetitive exposure to influencer-driven food advertising in the process of eliciting affective and physiological feelings such as hunger and food cravings. A theoretical framework featuring ten propositions as well as relevant theoretical and managerial implications was developed. The results suggest that repetitive exposure to influencer-driven food advertising, alongside the use of advertising strategies and influencers’ perceived trust, may shape the ways in which young adults think, feel, and behave with respect to their eating decisions. The results shed light on the influence of food advertising and the overwhelming effect of influencers on young adults’ emotions, cognition and behaviours.