Mixed Couples, Mixed Attitudes: How Interracial Couples in Marketing Appeals Influence Brand Outcomes

Abstract

Interracial couples are increasingly featured in marketing messages, yet little is known about how their representation influences consumer behavior. Across six experiments (N = 4,956) and a field study on Facebook, interracial couples in marketing appeals enhance brand outcomes relative to monoracial dominant (ie, White) couples, but decrease brand outcomes relative to monoracial nondominant (ie, minority) couples. These effects stem from how the racial composition of dominant (vs. nondominant) members within a couple either amplifies or dilutes perceived warmth. Monoracial couples possess consistent stereotype attributes, with dominant (vs. nondominant) groups typically seen as lower in warmth. Thus, monoracial couple warmth is amplified: monoracial dominant couples are seen as less warm (ie, negative amplification), and monoracial nondominant couples as warmer (ie, positive amplification) than the individuals in the couple. Interracial couples possess inconsistent racial attributes, inducing stereotype dilution with intermediate levels of perceived warmth. Warmth drives brand outcomes above and beyond brand diversity, social desirability, and brand morality. Effects are moderated by consumers’ social dominance orientation and whether the monoracial dominant couple is nondominant along another dimension (ie, sexual orientation). This work holds theoretical implications for stereotyping research and provides practical insight into multiracial marketing.