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ABSTRACT
This study explored the perceptual factors affecting consumers' advertising avoidance on social networking sites (SNSs) in the context of mobile YouTube by relying on the psychological theory of reversal theory. The study employed an exploratory survey methodology via surveys adapted from prior research. The investigation then empirically tested these factors. The findings highlighted the need for SNSs platform owners and online advertisers that subscribe to online paid advertising to consider their options for mitigating the consequences of consumer advertising avoidance by understanding the bi-dimensional psychological profiles of target audiences. This would enable video-based SNSs platform owners and online advertisers that use these platforms to appreciate the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of consumers' frames of mind and to personalize advertising content to cater for their individual psychological profiles.
Keywords: Advertising avoidance; Perceptual factors; Reversal theory; Mobile YouTube
I. Introduction
Advertising clutter and media fragmentation in the traditional media arena have long been recognised as the primary reasons for consumers' over-exposure to commercial messages (Goldman & Papson, 1994, 1996; Klopfenstein, 2011; McAllister, 1996). Consequently, advertisers have faced a negative consumer perception of advertising, as advertisements interfere with the media experience and are seen as unwanted, undesirable, and excessive (Ha, 1996). The advertising messages that a typical consumer is exposed to in a given day far exceeds the information-processing ability and results in their acting to filter the surplus visual and aural communication stimuli; these are predominantly messages that are of no significance to the consumer but intended for consumers in different demographic, psychographic, geographic or behavioral market segment categories (Gritten, 2007). To avoid being inundated with a plethora of advertising messages, the consumer in the postmodern era often engages "ad avoidance" strategies to aid in the maintenance of sovereignty over his or her psychic space (Speck & Elliott, 1997).
Since their introduction in the late 1990s, social networking sites (SNSs) have experienced a similar media evolution (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Despite the novel targeting capabilities that SNSs provide, the placement of advertisements on these platforms is also affected by consumers' negative attitudes, to some extent. For example, a recent survey conducted by Duke's Fuqua School of Business, in collaboration with the American Marketing Association and Deloitte, found that 74% of people are tired of SNSs...