Antecedents of Attitude towards Advertising of Controversial Products in Digital Media

Abstract

The promotion of controversial products on digital media has become a challenge for marketers as consumers of different ethnicities and cultures access web media. Therefore, the study has examined the impact of advertising’s antecedents on consumers’ attitude and their effect on purchase intentions. The study has also considered the mediating roles of attitude towards purchase intentions. The population for this study comprises of adult female digital media users. We collected data from 400 female respondents via the online survey method. The results suggest that hedonic value, falsity, and materialism directly impact attitude towards the advertising of controversial products. Further, hedonic value and materialism also affect purchase intentions. We also found that advertising attitude mediates the relationship between hedonic value, falsity, materialism, and purchase intentions. The study’s empirical results will help design appropriate marketing strategies, especially in the context of controversial products. Future research may extend the model by incorporating other factors and testing their efficacy in different regions and cultures.