Factors affecting consumers’ responses to mobile advertising from a social norm theoretical perspective

As mobile technology continues to diffuse, the numbers of mobile subscribers continue to grow. With a high penetration of mobile subscribers in the United States, the mobile phone and network is promptly becoming a feasible marketing channel as mobile phones facilitate the exposure to advertisements deliver through a variety of mobile technologies. The purpose of this study was to examine whether misperceptions of social norms of mobile advertising play any role in predicting consumers’ responses to mobile advertising. The study used a questionnaire survey method to measure mobile users’ attitudes, perceived usefulness (PU), perceived-ease-of-use (PEOU), and adoption intention of mobile advertising. A total of 343 college students from a large southwestern public university were recruited to participate in this study. The study demonstrated that misperceptions of social norms predicted consumers’ perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of mobile advertising. Both PU and PEOU are critical variables predicting consumers’ adoption of technologies. The study also found that PU predicted attitude towards mobile advertising, whereas PEOU did not predict attitude towards mobile advertising. Lastly attitude towards mobile advertising significantly predicted the intention to adopt mobile advertising.