Steve Dix

Television advertising avoidance: advancing research methodology

New technologies have led to increased television advertising avoidance. In particular, mechanical avoidance in the form of zipping and zapping has gained momentum in recent years. Channel switching or “commercial zapping” studies employ diverse methodologies, including self reports, electronic monitoring, laboratory, and in-home observation which has led to a diversity of reported results. This article proposes advancing and standardizing the methodology to comprise a two-phase hidden observation and survey method. A number of research phases have led to the development of this method to collect both mechanical and behavioral avoidance data. The study includes a detailed outline of the hidden observation approach. The survey phase opens up the potential for the collection of viewer data that may further illuminate television advertising avoidance behavior.

Measuring situational triggers of television channel switching

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a scale (SITUZAP) to measure the situational factors that trigger channel switching, specifically within the television environment.Design/methodology/approach – The domain construct is defined and 14 potential scale items were drawn from the literature and qualitative research. The scale was purified during the pilot phase and three scale items removed. The scale was re‐tested during the main study via an independent sample, confirming the two‐dimensional nature of the scale.Findings – Reliability analysis indicates that the scale is internally consistent with co‐efficient alpha high across both pilot and main studies. Moreover, confirmatory factor analysis supports the two‐factor measurement model – “advertising triggers” and “RCD empowerment”. The test‐retest result (r=0.662) further provides evidence of stability within the scale. The scale has also been verified for content, criterion, discriminant, and nomological validity. All ot...

Spotting the disguises and masquerades: Revisiting the boundary between editorial and advertising

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the perceptions of agencies, advertisers, and media consumers on the blurring practices commonly used to confuse editorial and advertising.Design/methodology/approach – A self‐administered questionnaire was mailed out to three sample groups, namely advertisers, agencies, and media consumers: 100 questionnaires were mailed to advertisers, 400 to agencies and 1,000 to media consumers. The response rate by group was 10, 11.75, and 24.5 percent, respectively.Findings – The findings did not substantiate the concerns that blurring practices are misleading to stakeholders in the industry. Advertisers in particular showed positive attitudes towards blurring practices. It is also revealed that there are few significant differences in the attitudes towards regulation of blurring practices among the three sample groups. However, there are differences in perception across sample groups towards the various types of blurring practices.Research limitations/implications –...

SMS advertising the Hallyu way: drivers, acceptance and intention to receive

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers of the acceptance of short message services (SMS) advertising and how it is still relevant and active in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory approach was applied with convenience sample of 206 valid responses. Existing scales were used to measure consumer’s acceptance of SMS advertising, intention to receive SMS advertising and responses to SMS advertising. Findings – The findings of this study show that the utility and context of the SMS advertising as well as consumers’ trust and attitude towards the advertising are the key drivers of consumers’ acceptance of SMS advertising in South Korea. Moreover, acceptance of SMS advertising is positively associated with intention to receive the message and further behavioural responses. Research limitations/implications – The outcomes of this study would be critical for practitioners to build strategies and conduct effective and creative SMS advertising campaigns in future. Mobile marketers should emphasize on the utility and context of the message that match with the consumers’ taste and preferences. Furthermore, consumers’ personal information needs to keep private and confidential which will create trust towards the SMS advertiser and in turn generate acceptance of SMS advertising. Originality/value – This study focuses on the consumer’s willingness to receive SMS advertising and behavioural responses to SMS advertising in South Korea which has not been explored by earlier studies.

Investigating the drivers of consumer acceptance and response of SMS advertising

Abstract This study tests five potential drivers underlying the acceptance of SMS advertising. After developing a scale to measure behavioral responses to SMS advertising, the relationships between the acceptance of SMS advertising, intention to receive SMS advertising and behavioral responses to SMS advertising are tested. A convenience sampling method was employed. Survey questionnaires were distributed across Western Australia. The return yielded 203 usable questionnaires from the respondents. Several factors emerge as significant drivers of acceptance of SMS advertising including utility of SMS advertisements, context of SMS advertisements and attitudes to advertising in general. Contrary to expectation, control over SMS advertisements did not emerge as a significant driver for acceptance of SMS advertising. Trust in advertisers and laws did not emerge as a significant driver of the acceptance of SMS advertising among Australian respondents. Advertisers who pursue consumer acceptance should strive to build utility and context considerations into their SMS campaigns. Future research opportunities include testing the drivers of SMS advertising to further investigate the impact of control and trust on acceptance of SMS advertising in other countries where the SMS advertising has not been explored yet.