Mobile Marketing
Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, VOL. 6, NO.3, 2005
DRIVING CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF MOBILE MARKETING: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND EMPIRICAL STUDY
Hans H. Bauer University of Mannheim hans.bauer@bwl.uni-mannheim.de Tina Reichardt University of Mannheim tina.reichardt@bwl.uni-mannheim.de Stuart J. Barnes University of East Anglia stuart.barnes@uea.ac.uk Marcus M. Neumann University of Mannheim marcus.neumann@bwl.uni-mannheim.de
ABSTRACT With the emergence of high speed wireless network technologies and the increasing market penetration of mobile phones the global advertising industry’s interest in using this medium as a means of marketing communication is rising. However, in spite of the increasing number of companies investing in mobile marketing campaigns, there is, as yet, little academic research on this topic and the nature and implications of this channel are not yet understood fully. This research attempts to help in bridging this gap; it investigates the factors that induce consumers to accept the mobile phone as a means of communicating promotional content. Underlying the research are a set of hypotheses that have been formulated to include determinants referring to consumer personality as well as determinants referring to the form of advertising. These hypotheses form the basis for this research and are empirically tested by means of a linear structural equation model. The empirical results (n = 1,028) identify entertainment value as well as information value as the strongest drivers of the acceptance of the mobile phone as an innovative medium for advertising content communication. Keywords: Acceptance; Mobile marketing; Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA); Structural equation model 1. Introduction Since the mid-1990s, the penetration of mobile phones in developed economies has been explosive. Whereas in 1997 only 215 million people were using mobile communication devices worldwide, by 2001 this had grown to a massive 961 million, further growing
DRIVING CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF MOBILE MARKETING: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND EMPIRICAL STUDY
Hans H. Bauer University of Mannheim hans.bauer@bwl.uni-mannheim.de Tina Reichardt University of Mannheim tina.reichardt@bwl.uni-mannheim.de Stuart J. Barnes University of East Anglia stuart.barnes@uea.ac.uk Marcus M. Neumann University of Mannheim marcus.neumann@bwl.uni-mannheim.de
ABSTRACT With the emergence of high speed wireless network technologies and the increasing market penetration of mobile phones the global advertising industry’s interest in using this medium as a means of marketing communication is rising. However, in spite of the increasing number of companies investing in mobile marketing campaigns, there is, as yet, little academic research on this topic and the nature and implications of this channel are not yet understood fully. This research attempts to help in bridging this gap; it investigates the factors that induce consumers to accept the mobile phone as a means of communicating promotional content. Underlying the research are a set of hypotheses that have been formulated to include determinants referring to consumer personality as well as determinants referring to the form of advertising. These hypotheses form the basis for this research and are empirically tested by means of a linear structural equation model. The empirical results (n = 1,028) identify entertainment value as well as information value as the strongest drivers of the acceptance of the mobile phone as an innovative medium for advertising content communication. Keywords: Acceptance; Mobile marketing; Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA); Structural equation model 1. Introduction Since the mid-1990s, the penetration of mobile phones in developed economies has been explosive. Whereas in 1997 only 215 million people were using mobile communication devices worldwide, by 2001 this had grown to a massive 961 million, further growing