Do Age and Gender Matter in SMS Marketing in Fiji?

Abstract

This study recognises and addresses short message service (SMS) advertising research deficits. The empirical study, grounded in the Uses and Gratification theory, presents the perceived advertising values and attitudes (PAVA) of consumers of different age groups and gender towards SMS advertisements. Data was collected from 261 mobile phone users and analysed using SPSS AMOS. The results suggest that the age and gender of consumers - matter when it comes to their PAVA towards SMS advertisements; thus, the need to tailor-make advertisements, particularly if the target markets are segmented by age and gender. The major and original contributions of this study are the different age groups and gender comparisons, using Uses and Gratification theory and a field study of a smaller South Pacific developing economy, unlike prior studies. Such a study is useful in setting the foundation for more research focussing on different age groups and gender comparative studies in smaller developing countries, larger scale research, country comparative studies, as well as ongoing SMS-related studies. Our findings provide a practical reference for marketing companies that use SMS advertisements to persuade consumers.