Aims: Alcohol portrayal in movies and commercials is generally positive and might stimulate young people to drink. We tested experimentally whether portrayal of alcohol images in movies and commercials on television promotes actual drinking. Methods: In a naturalistic setting (a bar lab), young adult male pairs watched a movie clip for 1 h with two commercial breaks and were allowed to drink non-alcohol and alcoholic beverages. These participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions varying on the type of movie (many versus few alcohol portrayals) and commercials (alcohol commercials present or not). Results: Participants assigned to the conditions with substantial alcohol exposure in either movies or commercials consume more alcohol than other participants. Those in the condition with alcohol portrayal in movie and commercials drank on average 1.5 glasses more than those in the condition with no alcohol portrayal, within a period of 1 h. Conclusions: This study—for the first time—shows a causal link between exposure to drinking models and alcohol commercials on acute alcohol consumption.

Purpose: The purpose of this study has three primary aims. The first is to examine the amount of time children spend per week on viewing vlogs. Second, the authors explored children’s awareness and understanding of the brand or product placement in vlogs. Finally, the authors explored children’s self-perceived susceptibility to the potential persuasive effects of these vlogs. Design/methodology/approach: Self-reported measurements were assessed among children (N = 127, 10-13 years of age). Findings: Results indicate that the majority of children frequently view vlogs and that their degree of bonding with the vlogger predicted the time spend on viewing vlogs. Children recalled products and brands that were shown in vlogs, which were mostly food and beverages and considered themselves and others affected by endorsements in vlogs. Research limitations/implications: Only cross-sectional data were collected; these data cannot be used to analyze behavior over a period of time or draw causal inferences. Practical implications: Considering the popularity of vlogs among young people, it is important to acquire more insight into the frequency and amount of time children spend on viewing vlogs and children’s processing of persuasive messages in vlogs. This may lead to a better understanding of underlying processes and prediction of the outcomes of advertising through this form of media content. Current findings raise further questions about the persuasive content of vlogs. Originality/value: Because of the popularity of online (social media) channels among youth, companies dedicate a significant proportion of their marketing budget on online influencer marketing. Therefore, it is important to acquire insight into children’s processing of online persuasive messages. To the authors’ knowledge, there is no empirical research on children’s potential bonding with popular vloggers and their awareness and understanding of the brand or product placement in vlogs.

Numerous studies have shown that people adjust their intake directly to that of their eating companions; they eat more when others eat more, and less when others inhibit intake. A potential explanation for this modeling effect is that both eating companions' food intake becomes synchronized through processes of behavioral mimicry. No study, however, has tested whether behavioral mimicry can partially account for this modeling effect. To capture behavioral mimicry, real-time observations of dyads of young females having an evening meal were conducted. It was assessed whether mimicry depended on the time of the interaction and on the person who took the bite. A total of 70 young female dyads took part in the study, from which the total number of bites (N = 3,888) was used as unit of analyses. For each dyad, the total number of bites and the exact time at which each person took a bite were coded. Behavioral mimicry was operationalized as a bite taken within a fixed 5-second interval after the other person had taken a bite, whereas non-mimicked bites were defined as bites taken outside the 5-second interval. It was found that both women mimicked each other's eating behavior. They were more likely to take a bite of their meal in congruence with their eating companion rather than eating at their own pace. This behavioral mimicry was found to be more prominent at the beginning than at the end of the interaction. This study suggests that behavioral mimicry may partially account for social modeling of food intake.