Message Design Strategies for Empowerment and Resistance to Racialized Marketing: A Randomized Trial

PurposeTo test the relative effectiveness of culturally tailored vs non-tailored messages in narrative and non-narrative formats on empowering Mexican American young adults.DesignTwo parallel randomized controlled trials comparing: (1) cultural tailoring (holding message format constant) and (2) message format (narrative vs infographic; both are culturally tailored).SettingOnline experiment with participants recruited through a commercial national pool; Mexican American women aged 18-29 years (N = 767).InterventionSingle exposure to 1 of 3 messages: standard infographic, culturally tailored infographic (non-narrative), or culturally tailored comic book (narrative). Messages addressed sugary beverage consumption, industrial racialized marketing practices, and community action.MeasuresPre-post measures of empowerment including community control, perceived effectiveness of collective action, and perceived ability to influence community decisions.AnalysesANCOVA was used to evaluate intervention effects while controlling baseline scores.ResultsCulturally tailored infographics significantly increased empowerment-related perceptions (P = 0.022, d = 0.19) while non-tailored infographics did not (Experiment 1; P = 0.262). When comparing formats with cultural tailoring held constant (Experiment 2), infographics increased empowerment-related perceptions (P = 0.003, d = 0.20), while comic books did not (P = 0.380). Both culturally tailored formats significantly improved perceived effectiveness of collective action (P < 0.001). Community control increased only with the culturally tailored infographics (P = 0.003).ConclusionResults demonstrate that culturally tailored messages, particularly in non-narrative format, can empower members of minoritized communities to resist racialized marketing practices.