Studying consumer behavior antecedents among mobile phone advertisements users

Hamidizadeh et al/ International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 3(6) 2016, Pages: 41‐48 42 toward mobile advertising among Iranian mobile users. It is important to know which factors impact on mobile users’ attitude toward mobile advertising and how marketers can devise advertising construct strategies better. 2. Literature Reyck and Degraeve (2003) defined mobile advertising as “targeting well-identified potential customers with text messages, thereby increasing the response-to-advertisement ratio”. Based on provided definition by Mobile Marketing Association (2003), mobile advertising is “any form of marketing, advertising or sales promotion activity aimed at consumers and conducted over a mobile channel”. Likewise, it can be defined as “The business of encouraging people to buy products and services using the mobile channel as a medium to deliver the advertising message” (Leppaniemi et al., 2005). However, one can say that the domain of this new phenomenon is “advertising that uses mobile terminals” (Bulander et al., 2007) and its maximum domain is to use mobile as an interactive marketing media and available anywhere for consumers so that they are encouraged to personalize information by their locations and needs and, as a result, message receiver would do an action currently or in future concerning products, services and ideas. 2.1. Entertainment People’s feeling of enjoyment on advertising plays the greatest role in their attitude toward advertising (Shavitt et al., 1998). Therefore, it is necessary that this message is short and funny and attracts the attention of consumers immediately (Kalakota and Robinson, 2002). Mobile has become an entertainment and media program (platform). Entertainment services can generate value for customers and increase their loyalty (Haghirian and Dickinger, 2004). Ducoffe (1995) indicated that advertising entertainment can relate to the value of advertising in traditional one significantly. Therefore, below hypothesis is suggested: H1: mobile advertising entertainment impacts on attitude toward mobile advertising. 2.2. In formativeness Consumers’ attitude toward seeking and using information in an important structure would analyze and describe their behavior (Kroeber-Riel and Weinberg, 2003), Ducoffe (1996) and Barwise and Strong (2002) claim that consumers prefer to receive instructive and valuable messages from the content of advertisements and this is an important factor in their value and advertising effectiveness. Lee et al. (2006) studied informative-ness in mobile advertising content in terms of fruitfulness and reality. Barwise and strong (2002) indicated that very related content is not achieved through a customer database; rather, it is obtained only when consumer has allowed to send advertising message and he/she should be asked the information it needs. They claim that if advertising messages are irrelevant for targeted audiences, a potential for negative responses is created. Based on raised literature, below hypothesis is recommended: H2: informative-ness impacts on attitude toward mobile advertising. 2.3. Irritation Tactics used by advertisers to attract consumers’ attention can irritate audience. When excessive irritation and manipulative advertising techniques are used, consumers likely feel their undesired impact (Ducoffe, 1996). Mobile advertising can bring a set of information which confuse receiver and scatter his/her concentration and eclipse consumer by such information (Xu, 2007). In their broad research on US consumers, Bauer and Greyser (1968) found that the main reason which causes consumer find deficits is irritation in advertising. There are several ways to mitigate annoyance of mobile advertising. One way is advertising through acquiring permission. Reyck and Degraeve (2003) assert that mobile advertising is effective only when conducted by permission. H3: lack of irritation impact on positive attitude toward mobile advertising. 2.4. Credibility Choi and Rifon (2002) define the credibility of advertiser as the amount of consumers’ belief in the fact that a company can design and represent those goods and services which can meet customer needs and requests. Additionally, Nantel and Sekhavat (2008) point out that the credibility of a resource is through the power which leads into advertiser’s trust building. “Credibility” is used to show communicator’s traits (whether a person or a company). Credibility includes expertise, trust, fascination and power (Lee et al., 2006). H4: credibility impacts on attitude toward mobile advertising. 2.5. Personalization Consumers prefer customized content of mobile advertising commensurate to their interests. Mobile advertising personalization can enable marketers to achieve potential consumers in a very unique manner and, as a result, to increase their customer relations (Robins, 2003). Ho and Kwok (2002) say “by personalization, the amounts of transmitted messages to customers are mitigated and users would no longer receive many long and irrelevant messages”. Likewise, Rao and Minakakis (2003) assert that marketing techniques are needed based on customer information profiles, dates and needs. Yan et al. (2004) explain that personalized mobile Hamidizadeh et al/ International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 3(6) 2016, Pages: 41‐48 43 advertising target certain customers and meet their need by their orders, preferences and shopping habits. In other words, personalized mobile advertising points out sending messages to mobile devices based on the population of users (e.g. income), user’s preferences (e.g. considered product), theme (e.g. location of users’ activities) and content factors (e.g. brand) (Xu, 2007). H5: personalization impacts on attitudes toward mobile advertising. 2.6. Permission Permission before sending advertisement is an important factor which impacts on consumers’ attitude toward advertising. In this vein, consumers permit marketers for advertising (Wong and Tang, 2008). Reyck and Degraeve assert that mobile advertising is profitable only when it is based on permission. Tsang et al. (2004) shows that overall attitude in mobile advertising is negative. According to him, it is not a good idea to send advertisements to potential customers before their permission. In other words, he suggests permission – based advertising. Consumers should be able to control mobile advertising (Carroll, 2007). To this end, permission – based advertising is discussed and suggested as a guide by authors. Permission based advertising is an agreement between advertise and receivers who decide when and how much information should be sent for receiver (Michael and Salter, 2006). On this basis, messages on goods and services are sent for certain people who have announced their tendency to receive such information clearly (Tsang et al., 2004). It is important to say that mobile advertising is effective only when it is based on permission. Sent messages without customers’ consent are seen undesired and are even illegal in some countries. H6: Permission to send advertisements impacts on attitudes toward mobile advertising significantly. 2.7. Subjective norm Based on Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), subjective norm impacts on a person’s tendency to a behavior. Subjective norm is defined as a person’s conception that people think they should or should not conduct behaviors (Ajzen, 1991; Davis et al., 1989; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). According to Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) subjective norm is a function of normative beliefs and motivations of a person. In information system researchers, the impact of subjective norm us shown that impacts more importantly on low experienced or inexperienced consumers (Venkatesh et al., 2003). Therefore, subjective norms may impact of trust building. Subjective norms are considered to count social impacts exposed by an individual’s attitude. Therefore, it is a certain behavior impacted by the opinions of others concerning behavior (Mansour, 2012). In principle, TRA shows the link between subjective norms and behavioral tendencies developed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) and it indicates that tendencies are determined social attitudes and norms which change behavior and/or as a unique behavior. H7: subjective norms impact on consumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising significantly. H8: subjective norms impact on consumers’ tendency to accept mobile advertising significantly. 2.8. Incentives Incentives are values or profits from consumers which can enjoy them when they receive mobile advertising (Hanley et al., 2005; Pastore, 2002). Incentive – based advertising creates certain financial rewards for those people who agree to receive Mobil advertisements (Pietz and Storbacka, 2007). By sending incentive – based advertisements, advertiser generates value for individuals and creates a good sense among customers (Iddris, 2006). Mobile marketing researches support the relationship between incentives and attitude toward mobile advertising. Considered incentives are assigned to the impact of consumer’s tendency to receive mobile advertising receiving and consumers are more tended to receive incentive – based mobile advertising (Tsang et al., 2004). H9: incentives to receive mobile advertising impacts on consumers’ tendency to accept mobile advertising significantly. 2.9. Attitude, tendency and behavior Attitude is an important concept in marketing and information system studies. Fishbein (1967) has defined attitude as “a learned predisposition of human beings”. Based on this predisposition, “an individual would respond to an object (or an idea) or a number of things (or opinions). ” Kotler and Keller (2011) asserted that “an attitude is a person’s enduring favorable or unfavorable evaluations, emotional feelings, and action tendencies toward some object or idea”. Relations between attitude, tendency and behavior are studied and confirmed by several researches. According to TRA, people’