Consumer Attitudes and Interactive Digital Advertising (501-509)

This article examined attitudes among consumers toward four different types of interactive digital advertising. As the number of internet users continues to increase, advertising through the internet becomes a more important contact point for consumers to acquire information. SMS and MMS services on mobile phones are still relatively new modes of communication, and advertisers are beginning to market to consumers more on these devices as they "provide the opportunity to reach prospective customers when it where it is most appropriate for the marketing campaign while simultaneously offering high interactivity." However, little academic attention has been paid to consumer attitudes regarding these methods of advertising. The study conducted here sought to shore up that lack of literature. The article begins by giving a background of all four types of advertising (email based, internet based, SMS based, and MMS based). A questionnaire was created to measure three different attitudinal forms with regard to the different types of advertising: 'informative', 'entertaining', and 'irritating'. When designing the questionnaire, the researchers The study was conducted using university students in Taiwan. Taiwan has the fifth highest internet penetration rate in the world. University students in Taiwan get free access to the internet, and they are "frequently required to search online for information related to their coursework," so internet use among university students is high compared to other population segments. The study found that attitudes towards "e-advertising and MMS-type m-advertising are both similar and positive (informative and less irritating and entertaining)" and attitudes towards "email and SMS-type m-advertising are less positive (more irritating and less informative and entertaining)." This research is important because as most company's marketing budget decreases, it become increasingly important that they understand how best to communicate with their target audiences. Knowing which new media the markets are most receptive to is of critical importance to maximize effective communication of your message.