Consumers' psychological reactance and ownership in in-game advertising

Abstract

Purpose

The study explores the effect of game flow, game enjoyment and game customization on consumers' attitudes toward the game (ATG). It also examines the relationship between consumers' ATG and attitude toward the in-game advertising (IGA) brand.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used SEM and PROCESS MACRO to analyze the results.

Findings

The study asserts the significant role of game flow, game customization and game enjoyment as antecedents of consumers' ATG. Furthermore, psychological ownership and perceived IGA invasiveness were found to be significant moderators between attitude toward game and attitude for the IGA brand.

Originality/value

The study examines how players’ attitude toward the game influences their attitude toward the IGA brand due to the player's ownership perceptions over the game and invasiveness perceptions for IGA. The study used psychological ownership and psychological reactance theory in the gamification context. The study findings present pertinent implications for game developers and brands interested in using IGA tools.

Citation

Malhotra, G., Mishra, S. and Saxena, G. (2021), "Consumers' psychological reactance and ownership in in-game advertising", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 842-855. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2020-0419