Mariea Grubbs Hoy

Dimensions of Privacy Concern Among Online Consumers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is one of many organizations studying influences on consumer privacy online. The authors investigate these influences, taking into consideration the current body of literature on privacy and the Internet and the FTCs core principles of fair information practice. The authors analyze these influences to assess the underlying factors of privacy concern online. The authors examine the current recommendations and actions of the FTC in light of the results of an e-mail survey of online consumers in the United States that assessed their attitudes toward privacy online. The authors find that the FTCs core principles address many of online consumers’ privacy concerns. However, two factors not directly incorporated in the five principles, the relationships between entities and online users and the exchange of information for appropriate compensation, may influence consumers’ privacy concerns.

Gender Differences in Privacy-Related Measures for Young Adult Facebook Users

ABSTRACT This study examines gender differences in young adults’ privacy beliefs, their reactions to behavioral advertising, personal information-sharing behaviors, and privacy protection behaviors on social networks. This investigation uses a large-scale survey of college students based on a social networked sampling technique facilitated through a Facebook group. Results reveal several gender differences in these areas. Third-party data usage beyond the original purpose and behavioral advertising techniques are of concern to both genders but more to women. In addition, women engage in noticeably more proactive privacy protection behavior compared with a decade ago. The authors conclude with a discussion of implications for behavioral advertising.

Using E-mail to Survey Internet Users in the United States: Methodology and Assessment

The Internets potential for academic and applied research has recently begun to be acknowledged and assessed. To date, researchers have used Web page-based surveys to study large groups of on-line users and e-mail surveys to study smaller, more homogenous on-line user groups. A relatively untapped use for the Internet is to use e-mail to survey broader Internet populations on both a national and international basis. Our experience using e-mail to study a national sample of Internet users is presented, beginning with a discussion of how a sample of on-line users can be selected using a ‘people finder’ search engine. We include an evaluation of the demographic characteristics of the respondent pool compared to both a web page-based survey and a telephone survey of Internet users. Considerations for researchers who are evaluating this method for their own studies are provided.

The Aad-Ab-PI relationship in children: The impact of brand familiarity and measurement timing

Given the explosion of research in the past decade that has examined the Aad-Ab-PI relationship using adult subjects, one would expect to see an almost parallel stream of research involving children. However, as is evident in Brown and Staymans (1992) meta-analysis of the literature, no studies investigating this area have used children as the sample. This study provides an initial exploration into the Aad-Ab-PI relationship in children with specific focus given to the impact of brand familiarity and measurement timing while controlling for prior brand attitudes. Forty-three third graders and sixty-eight sixth graders participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment that manipulated brand familiarity (familiar vs. unfamiliar) and measurement timing (immediate vs. delayed). Similar to the results using adult subjects, the childrens Aad measures significantly affected Ab for both familiar and unfamiliar brands, even after controlling for prior brand attitude. However, contrary to adult responses, the childrens Aad had a significant, albeit modest, impact on their PI responses. Based on these results, the paper offers implications for marketers and public policy makers and questions for future research.

Adherence of Prime-Time Televised Advertising Disclosures to the "Clear and Conspicuous" Standard: 1990 Versus 2002

In 1990, one-fourth of all national television commercials contained disclosures, yet none of the disclosures adhered to all of the Federal Trade Commissions “clear and conspicuous” standard (CCS). As a result of marketplace changes and a 2001 Federal Trade Commission and National Advertising Division joint workshop, the authors anticipate an increase in the number of disclosures and greater adherence to the CCS. The authors find a significant increase in disclosure incidence; however, adherence declines or remains unchanged for most individual guidelines. Finally, the authors provide public policy implications and offer suggestions to increase adherence to the CCS.

Structural Characteristics of Televised Advertising Disclosures: A Comparison with the FTC Clear and Conspicuous Standard

Abstract Interest in information disclosure is increasing as the marketplace awaits the impact of prescription drugs gaining over-the-counter status, the FDA crackdown on health-related claims for food and cosmetics, and the attempt of advertisers to protect themselves against allegations of misleading advertising. This study examines the structural features of disclosures in prime time television advertising with respect to the FTC “clear and conspicuous standard” recommendations established in 1979. None of the disclosures studied was found to meet all six of the clear and conspicuous standards that were investigated. Only 12 percent of video disclosures met all video-related criteria. The findings suggest that advertisers attempt to circumvent the FTCs intentions to provide “clear and conspicuous” consumer information by limiting their efforts to protecting themselves against misleading advertising claims.

Consumer Privacy and Security Protection on Church Web Sites: Reasons for Concern

The authors examine online privacy and security issues in a study of 102 church Web sites throughout the nation and find that though church Web sites collect personal identifying information comparable to that collected by commercial Web sites, few offer information practice statements or privacy policies. Furthermore, unlike their commercial counterparts, church Web sites often post personal identifying information of their members and site visitors that enhances potential threats to both consumer privacy and security. Survey responses from 21 church Web site administrators provide further insight into this information disclosure gap and potential means of addressing it.

Coddling Our Kids: Can Parenting Style Affect Attitudes Toward Advergames?

This study examined parents’ understanding of and experience with child-targeted advergames through exploratory interviews and quantitative pretests of an advergaming definition. Exploratory findings revealed that parents tended to overgeneralize when identifying advergames. Through the use of an online survey, this study also examined how parental socialization styles affect parents’ attitudes toward advergames. As predicted, results indicate that authoritarian and authoritative parents hold more negative perceptions toward advergames compared to indulgent parents, while all parenting styles exhibited negative leanings toward advergaming as a practice. These findings indicate the efficacy of parental socialization theory in explaining parents’ perceptions and attitudes toward this new form of advertising—advergames. We discuss important implications for regulators, practitioners, and parents.

A Multifaceted Tool for a Complex Phenomenon: Coding Web‐Based Interactivity as Technologies for Interaction Evolve

Analysis of interactivity in Web sites is an important extension of a long tradition of analyzing content of media messages. But both interactivity and online analysis of content and features offer unique challenges to researchers. This study develops and tests a tool for measuring interactivity in the context of health-related Web sites. The tool was flexible enough to distinguish among multiple types of interactivity and powerful enough to show differences in interactivity based on domain type. Thus, it should have a relatively long life as a multifaceted tool for the tough job of measuring interactivity online.

A Nation under the Influence: The Creative Strategy Process for Advertising in Thailand

Abstract Thailand leads the Southeast Asian market in advertising expenditures. Although numerous studies have examined the content of Thai advertising and compared it to its Western counterpart, no research to date has examined the process of creative strategy development. We conducted ten in-depth interviews among Thai advertising creative professionals from different agencies in Bangkok. Based on our findings, we provide insight to foreign companies that want to further understand Thai advertising and to successfully communicate to Thai consumers within their own cultural context.