The Influence Of Mobile Advertising

Mobile advertising can be defined as “the usage of mobile Internet-based media to transmit advertising messages to consumers in form of time and location sensitive, personalized information with the overall goal to promote goods and services” (Haghirian, Madlberger and

Inoue, 2008, p. 3). Similarly, Scharl, Dickinger and Murphy (2005, p. 165) described it as information that promotes goods and services in a personalized, time and location sensitive manner, using a wireless medium. Leppäniemi, Karjaluoto and Salo (2004, p. 93) defined it simply as “the business of encouraging people to buy products and services using the mobile channel as medium to deliver the advertisement message.” Mort & Drennan (2002, p. 9) stressed “the ubiquitous nature

140). Thus, according to this theory, the interrelationships between the factors of knowing, feeling and doing something in relation to a specific object, also described as “the particular hierarchy of effects in operation,”

(Solomon et al, 2006, p. 145) trigger the person‟s actual attitude towards that object.

However, some authors have challenged this theoretical model and suggested alternative models to address consumers‟ attitude formation (Barry, 1987, p. 266). Ray (1973) proposed the models of cognition-affect-collation and conation-affect-cognition. The first one, also known as the learning hierarchy, suggested that people first think and perceive, then feel or develop attitudes, and then behave, whereas the second one proposed that “consumers first behave, then develop attitudes and feelings as a result of that behaviour, and then learn or process information that supports the earlier behaviour” (Barry, 1987, p. 266). Furthermore,

Ehrenberg (1974) proposed the ATR model, standing for awareness, trial and

Therefore, now that general theory about attitudes and behaviours has been explained, it is time to look at some of the findings that research studies have obtained with regards to consumers‟ attitudes towards mobile advertising.

Tsang, Shu-Chun and Ting-Peng (2004, p. 75) quantitative research conducted in Taiwan in

2002 found that people held negative attitudes about receiving mobile advertising. Given the intimate and personal nature of mobile devices, Tsang et al (2004, p. 65) highlighted that it is critical that marketers know how customers feel about receiving ads on their mobile devices.

Wells, Kleshinski and Lau (2012) examined the attitudes and behavioural intentions towards mobile marketing of generation Y (people born in the 80s and early 90s) consumers in China,

France and the United States. Their quantitative research indicated that this generation in

China was the one with the most positive attitude towards mobile marketing among the three countries (Wells et al, 2012, p. 20). In addition, a survey conducted in 54 countries found the

English along with the French to be the most pessimists about mobile advertising, not seeing much value from this advertising medium (Birkenhead, 2013). Instead, the mobile users