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

This article investigates how the representation of interracial couples in marketing influences consumer brand outcomes compared to monoracial dominant (White) and monoracial nondominant (minority) couples. Across six experiments and a Facebook field study, findings show that interracial couples enhance brand evaluations relative to monoracial dominant couples but yield lower brand outcomes than monoracial nondominant couples. These effects are explained by the stereotype content model (SCM), specifically through the amplification or dilution of perceived warmth—a key dimension influencing consumer responses—with dominant racial group members associated with lower warmth and nondominant groups with higher warmth. The research further identifies that consumers' social dominance orientation (SDO) and the presence of other nondominant attributes (e.g., homosexual orientation) moderate these effects, offering nuanced insights into diversity representation in marketing and its impact on consumer behavior.