Justin Timberlake got paid $6 million from McDonald’s to sing the “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle. In 2012, Beyoncé signed a $50 million multi-year ad campaign with Pepsi.
What’s going on?
A new study by NYU Langone Medical Center describes the endorsement of unhealthy food and beverage products by 65 popular music celebrities. Table 1 shows all the 57 different brands that were promoted.
Table 1. Food and beverage endorsements by music celebrities
| Celebrity | Endorsed Food or Beverage Brands |
| Baauer | A&W Restaurants, Dr. Pepper, Hot Pockets, Red Bull, Pepsi |
| will.i.am | Coca-Cola, Doritos, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi |
| Britney Spears | GG Tea, McDonald's, Pepsi |
| Justin Timberlake | Chili's, McDonald's, Pepsi |
| Jessie J | McDonald's, Pop Tarts, Cadbury's |
| Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Sheets Energy Strips | |
| Maroon 5 | Coca-Cola, Snapple |
| Chris Brown | Got Milk, Wrigley's Doublemint |
| Snoop Dogg | Hot Pockets, Monster Energy |
| Psy | Wonderful Pistachio, Nongshim Shin Ramyun Black Cup |
| Shakira | Pepsi, Activia |
| Carrie Underwood | Vitamin Water, Hershey |
| Usher | Honey Nut Cheerios, Twix |
| Juicy J | CORE Hydration, Red Bull |
| Katy Perry | Pepsi, PopChips |
| Blake Shelton | Pepsi, Pizza Hut |
| Nelly | Honey Nut Cheerios, Mike and Ike |
| Macklemore | Cracker Jack, Dr. Pepper |
| Nabisco, Pepsi | |
| Ne-Yo | Pepsi |
Sources: Pediatrics Journal and National Public Radio (NPR)
The celebrity popularity was determined by checking out who won at the Teen Choice Awards, along with the view count (approximately 313 million views) for celebrity endorsement on YouTube. The investigators also analyzed every food and drink endorsement between 2000 and 2014 using AdScope, an advertisement database that contains all forms of ad, including television and radio.
The researchers concluded that out of the 26 food products, 81% were nutrient-poor. Only one food product scored a healthy score: Wonderful Pistachio. The brand is endorsed by Psy.
Experts are concerned that this might feed the rise of childhood and teen obesity.
The study does not evaluate how endorsements affect consumption. However, there is proof for the level of influence that celebrity endorsement can have. A study published in 2014 reported that young people who enjoyed popular songs that mentioned brands of alcohol (e.g., LMFAO and their “shots” song) were more likely to drink compared to those who did not like those songs.
In the food and non-alcoholic beverage industry, the influence is similar. Researchers have documented that pushing items like sweetened drinks, salted snacks, and fast food puts children’s long-term health at risk.
Not all is bad. There is promotion of healthy food. For example, the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), a nonprofit that works to end childhood obesity, launched a fruit and vegetable advertising campaign. It features Jessica Alba, Cam Newton, John Cena, and Stephen Curry, to name a few stars.
The question is whether a fruit and vegetable campaign will have the same impact as McDonald’s one. Andrew Nannis, chief marketing officer of PHA, is hopeful because of a recent survey. The data found that 7 out of 10 people who had seen the campaign reported eating more fruits and vegetables afterward.
While organizations like PHA promote healthy food, lead study author Marie Bragg says that food and beverage companies need to do their part. Many have pledged not to target children under than 12, but teens are not included. Bragg says that they cannot be excluded if there is to be great change around how youth eat.
