The Double-Edged Sword of Inclusive Language: Consumer Responses to “Latinx” in Advertising

Abstract

The term Latinx, a gender-neutral alternative to Latino and Latina, has become more prevalent in recent years, despite ongoing controversy regarding its use. Across three studies, we test how Hispanic/Latino consumers perceive the use of this term in advertising, and the downstream consequences this has for brands. An IAT, in which participants categorized mock advertisement stimuli featuring Latinx or Latino, revealed that Hispanic/Latino consumers do not have positive implicit associations with Latinx. Further, two experiments that manipulated both inclusive language and the advertised product showed that one's political orientation influences purchase intentions when brands use Latinx, regardless of the product advertised. Specifically, we show that politically conservative Hispanic/Latino consumers have less favorable attitudes toward Latinx, which drives down their perceptions of a brand's morality when an advertisement uses Latinx; this subsequently affects their purchase intentions. Interestingly, we find that politically liberal Hispanic/Latino consumers do not punish a brand for using a specific term, rather they perceive the use of Latinx and Latino to be morally equal. Our research has implications for brands wishing to engage the Hispanic/Latino community, suggesting they use caution when using seemingly inclusive, yet politically-charged, language that may not resonate with their target consumers.