Jeevarathnam Parthasarathy Govender

Electronic below-the-line promotions and perceived intrusiveness to the end consumer: A Durban perspective

In light of increased competition in the retail environment, traditional means of promotion have proven to be less effective. Below-the-line promotions have begun to take on a more prominent role in gaining top-of-the mind awareness among consumers. The ability to target a specific consumer with a specific message is often deemed as having greater value than when compared to the consumer being bombarded with irrelevant information through mass-media advertising. Electronic below-the-line promotional efforts are often seen as intrusive. There is a lack of knowledge of consumer attitudes towards these techniques. This study examines attitudes towards electronic below-the-line promotions in terms of their perceived intrusiveness among consumers in the Durban area. The findings indicate that most of the consumers did not consider electronic below-the-line promotions as being intrusive or an invasion of their privacy, although, many were unsure in this regard. It emerged that attitudes towards electronic below-the-line promotions were generally favourable, with the majority of respondents indicating that such promotions may drive them to purchase action.