increasingly widespread, it is important to examine advertising and ... author was able to receive the cooperation of both a mobile interactive agency and ... using a structural equations model via data from an Internet survey of more than.
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Introduction: New Media: Mobile Advertising and Marketing Charles R. Taylor Villanova University
Doo-Hee Lee Korea University, Korea
For many consumers worldwide, cell phones, iPods, PDAs, and instant messaging have become indispensable, yet marketers are still learning how to use these media. As ownership of hand-held devices and other new technologies becomes increasingly widespread, it is important to examine advertising and marketing via the use of short message service (SMS) text messages, multimedia message service, WiFi, hotspots, and additional new applications such as Bluetooth. Notably, the growth of these technologies has not been confined to any one part of the world. In fact, the use of SMS took off most quickly in East Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan, as well as parts of Europe and, more recently, the United States. The papers in this special issue are designed to provide insight into consumer adoption and use of mobile media, as well as into marketers’ use of mobile media. Notably, a high number of submissions were received from many parts of the world, and the papers represented validate such variety. The table of contents in this issue reveals an eclectic set of papers from all parts of the globe where mobile commerce has made substantial inroads. This is most fortunate in terms of examining whether patterns of use and adoption can be generalized, and also in helping to determine which research findings apply cross-culturally. In the first article, Okazaki examines the factors associated with effectively generating SMS “word of mouth” communication through advertising. The commitment-value paradigm is used to develop a model that examines individual psychological characteristics and the influence they may have in perceiving value in a campaign and subsequently participating in it. The methodology for testing the model involved sending a text message to a group of young Japanese Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 25(8): 711–713 (August 2008) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/mar.20234 711
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men for a new hair wax product, asking them to use the product, photograph themselves on a mobile phone, and send the photo back to firm’s Web site. The author was able to receive the cooperation of both a mobile interactive agency and a real firm with an actual product, and thus obtain a truly impressive data set based on more than 4800 completed questionnaires. Results of the study support the proposed theoretical model and provide insight for managers attempting to encourage consumers to actively respond to receiving a mobile advertisement. The second article, by Pihlström and Brush, studies how value perceptions influence the post-purchase behaviors of mobile service users, who are segregated based on their reason for using the service (information vs. entertainment). The authors draw on economic theory to frame hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested using a structural equations model via data from an Internet survey of more than 500 mobile service users in Europe. The findings show that a multidimensional examination of value is necessary to better understand how value impacts postpurchase behavior. Additionally, the findings provide compelling evidence that the information and entertainment segments need to be targeted separately. In the third article, Choi, Hwang, and McMillan compare the factors that enhance the effectiveness of mobile advertising messages in the U.S. and Korea. Results based on a survey of Korean and American consumers indicate that two factors—entertainment and credibility—are of significant influence to consumers in both countries. At the same time, cross-cultural differences exist with respect to other key dimensions of mobile advertising effectiveness. These findings suggest a need for a considerable increase in cross-cultural research on factors related to the effectiveness of mobile advertising. Next, Kim, Park, and Oh draw on and expand the technology acceptance model (TAM) in examining consumer adoption of SMS in Korea by proposing factors that contribute to its perceived usefulness, enjoyment, and ease of use. The authors test their model on a broad sample of males, including junior high and high school students, college students, and office workers. Structural equations modeling is used to test their model. Findings indicate that three of four proposed antecedents of these perceptions have an impact on the perception and, in turn, adoption of SMS service: the network factor (related to others’ use of a network), interface convenience, and context controllability. In the fifth article, Zhang and Mao draw on the theory of reasoned action to adapt the TAM to the context of the adoption of SMS advertising. Based on a survey of people aged 21–35 years in China, the authors find that ease of use and perceived usefulness are two key characteristics affecting intention to use SMS. The authors also find that subjective norms and trust are influencers of SMS message acceptance. Adoption of digital media broadcasting in three major markets (Japan, Germany, and Korea) is the subject of the sixth article. Authored by Kim, Ko, Takahashi, Schellhase, Kim, and Lee, the paper develops an innovative theoretical framework based on uses and gratifications theory. The authors find that permanent access, entertainment, and social interaction are positively related to the use of DMB technology. Additionally, the study suggests that self-efficacy and consumer perceptions of DMB as an innovative trend also play a role in the use and acceptance of the technology. While the authors’ proposed model is generally supported, a few interesting cross-cultural differences are acknowledged.
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TAYLOR AND LEE Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
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In the final paper, Nasco and Bruner test the effects of different modalities of advertising vs. non-advertising SMS messages on recall of content, as well as the impact of different content types (e.g., weather, sports, ads). The modality factor in the authors’ experiment was tested by manipulating two factors: pictures (none, static, streaming) and audio/visual (audio only and text only). Based on data from a student sample, the authors find strong content effects, with weather information evidenced as the most significant type of content. They also maintain that modality effects do influence recall of the ads. The breadth of topics covered by papers in this issue is evidence of the many high-quality submissions we received. We are most grateful to Rajan Nataraajan for his guidance and encouragement. Rajan had excellent insight into the types of research these special issues could generate. The high number of submissions we received affirmed his conviction of the importance of these topics. We would also like to sincerely thank the reviewers of this special issue, and of the companion special issue on e-commerce, many of whom reviewed more than one paper. Without the quality feedback provided by knowledgeable reviewers in an area where technology changes rapidly, the papers presented here would not be as well developed as they are. Finally, we thank our supporting staff at the Villanova School of Business and Korea University. Research assistants Catherine D’Orazio, Milan Slovic, Adrianne Liszewski, and Leighton Zema provided valuable support along the way. Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to: Charles R. Taylor, Villanova School of Business, 800 E. Lancaster Ave., Villanova, PA 19085-1678 (raymond.taylor @villanova.edu).
MOBILE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
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