Linking information motivation to attitudes towards Web advertising

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationships among Syrian consumers’ information motivation and beliefs about and attitude towards Web advertising.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional investigation is conducted and the proposed model is tested and revised using structural equation modeling technique.

Findings

The results indicate that information motivation predicts three dimensions of beliefs about Web advertising, i.e. positively for information and entertainment; and negatively for irritation. It is found also that information motivation positively influences consumers’ attitudes towards advertising. As well as, information, entertainment and irritation are found to partially mediate the relationship between information motivation and attitude towards Web advertising. Additionally, values corruption is found to negatively influence Syrian consumers’ attitudes toward Web advertising.

Research limitations/implications

Researchers are advised to use the validated scales in the present study when it comes to measure beliefs about and attitudes toward Internet advertising in the Syrian context or other Arab countries contexts. Also, further investigations using longitudinal design are needed to check the validity of our results on a longer period of time, besides using qualitative methods along with quantitative analyses could produce a wider vision to the results. Additionally, it is recommended that other types of Internet usage motivation are included in future studies’ models.

Practical implications

Advertisers promoting in Syria are encouraged to influence Syrian consumers’ attitudes towards Web advertising to be more positive and less negative through offering free and high-quality content of information, especially for Internet users with high levels of informative motivation. Additionally, producing informative, enjoyable, less annoying and less values corruptive could help promoting for favorable attitudes towards Web advertising.

Originality/value

This research comes to be one of the first studies to investigate Syrian consumers’ beliefs about and attitudes towards Internet advertising. Also, this study provides evidence of the direct relationship between information motivation and general attitudes towards Web advertising.

Citation

Bassam Mahmoud, A. (2014), "Linking information motivation to attitudes towards Web advertising", Journal of Islamic Marketing, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 396-413. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-02-2013-0011