Exploring gender effects in a mobile advertising context: On the evaluation of trust, attitudes, and recall

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9300-7Abstract This study examines how gender affects mobile advertising acceptance in Japan. Drawing upon cultural, socioeconomic, and industry-specific factors, five hypoth- eses and two research questions are formulated for four dependent variables (trust, attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, and ad recall) and two independent variables (gender and ad type). User frequency was considered a covariate. An empirical survey was conducted in Japan: Forty thousand respondents were randomly selected, and 3,254 responses were received. Two mobile campaigns (one durable and one nondurable good) were used as stimuli. Multivariate data analysis found significant multivariate effects as well as univariate effects. There was a significant interaction effect of gender and ad type on ad recall. In closing, the study’s implications are discussed

Mobile advertising adoption by multinationals: Senior executives' initial responses

Purpose - Although the wireless internet attracts more and more interest from marketers and researchers, there is little empirical evidence of multinational corporations' (MNCs) adoption of pulltype mobile advertising in global markets. The aim of this study is to fill this research gap, by conducting an empirical survey of the perceptions of MNCs operating in Europe regarding SMSbased mobile advertising adoption. Design/methodology/approach - The study proposes six basic constructs which are thought to influence MNCs' decision-making process on mobile advertising adoption. On this base, a structured questionnaire is developed. The data are obtained by telephone interviews from 53 senior executives of MNCs' subsidiaries in Spain. Findings - Hierarchical regression analysis reveals that branding strategy, facilitating conditions, and security and costs are the strongest determinants of MNCs' mobile advertising adoption. Furthermore, discriminant analysis indicates that Japanese, American, and European firms are statistically classifiable according to their cultural affiliation in terms of their perceptions of mobile advertising adoption. Japanese firms are the least willing to use mobile advertising, while their American counterparts are the most motivated in this regard. Originality/value - While SMS-based mobile marketing has been receiving an increasing attention from both academics and practitioners, there exists little empirical research on this area. In this vein, this study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, the study proposes a conceptual research model based on six basic constructs, which incorporate both theoretical and practical perspectives. Second, the model is tested by empirical data obtained from top managers of MNCs' subsidiaries operating in a European market. The findings of this study thus offer useful insights based on their "hands-on" experience.The financial support provided by the Yoshida Hideo Memorial Foundation (Tokyo)

Exploring experiential value in online mobile gaming adoption

Despite the growing importance of the online mobile gaming industry, little research has been undertaken to explain why consumers engage in this ubiquitous entertainment. This study attempts to develop an instrument to measure experiential value in online mobile gaming adoption. The proposed scale consists of seven first-order factors of experiential value: intrinsic enjoyment, escapism, efficiency, economic value, visual appeal, perceived novelty, and perceived risklessness. The survey obtained 164 usable responses from Japanese college students. The empirical data fit our first-order model well, indicating a high level of reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity. The single second-order model also shows an acceptable model fit.This research was supported by a grant from the Telecommunications Advancement Foundation (Japan

Do multinationals standardise or localise? The cross-cultural dimensionality of product-based Web sites

Despite the growing use of the Internet as an effective marketing channel, there is a lack of comprehensive research regarding multinational corporations' (MNCs') Web sites for multiple cultures. In this paper, Japanese MNCs' product-based Web sites were content-analysed, comparing the Web sites created by the same firms in domestic and external markets. In total, 150 product-based Web sites were chosen from the Japanese, Spanish and US market samples. Three explanatory variables (information content, cultural values and creative strategies) were examined on the basis of cultural dimensions and contexts. The results revealed that Japanese MNCs are likely to localise their Web sites to meet the target market culture through tailoring content and creative strategies, but also that online product presentations do not reflect target-market values. In closing, implications and future research directions are discussed.Financial support provided by the Yoshida Hideo Foundation (Tokyo

Social influence model and electronic word of mouth: PC versus mobile internet

Compared with laptop or desktop computers, mobile devices offer greater flexibility in time and space, thus enabling consumers to be connected online more continually. In addition, their small size, portability and ease of use with location-based capabilities facilitate sending and receiving timely information in the right place. Drawing upon a social influence model proposed by Dholakia et al. (2004), this paper proposes a causal model for consumer participation in electronic word of mouth (eWOM), and compares the effects of PC-based and mobile-based eWOM (hereafter pcWOM and mWOM, respectively). The paper posits social identity, motivations (purposive value, social enhancement and intrinsic enjoyment), inherent novelty seeking and opinion leadership as antecedents affecting desire (individual-level driver) and social intention (grouplevel driver) to engage in eWOM. A total of 271 survey responses were collected from consumers in Japan. The proposed model fits the data reasonably well; all hypotheses are supported. The results reveal that desire only partially mediates the effects on social intention of social identity. Compared with pcWOM participants, mWOM participants exhibit significantly higher perceptions on social intention, intrinsic enjoyment and cognitive social identity. After recognising important limitations, theoretical implications are discussed and future research directions suggested

Evolution in the usage of localised appeals in Japanese and American print advertising

Based on global consumer culture theory, this empirical investigation examines how the usage of local appeals in Japanese and American advertising content has shifted over a period of nearly three decades. It replicates and improves upon Mueller’s investigation (Journal of Advertising Research, 1987, 27(3)). Content analysis determined the existence or absence of five traditionally Japanese appeals vs five traditionally Western appeals in 2005 issues of women’s, general interest, business and sports magazines published in each country. A total of 899 US ads and 853 Japanese ads were collected. Japanese advertisers appear to have turned to a rather more direct and persuasive selling approach, but continue to maintain a tradition of Japanese subtlety. American ads have shifted from a hard-hitting and aggressive strategy to a more benefit-orientated strategy with a distinctly softer touch. Appeals employed, however, were found to vary with the product category promoted. Overall, findings suggest that while Japanese advertising may have become somewhat more ‘American’, American advertising appears to have become significantly more ‘Japanese’. Possible future convergence between Eastern and Western advertising has implications for international marketers as they craft messages to appeal to these audiences.This research is supported by a grant provided by the Yoshida Hideo Memorial Foundation (Tokyo, Japan)

Exploring convenience in mobile commerce: Moderating effects of gender

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Computers in Human Behavior . Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in omputers in Human Behavior 29.3 (2013). DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.10.019To date, little research has examined gender difference in how convenience is perceived in mobile com- merce (m-commerce). The current work presents and tests a theoretical model partially based on Tech- nology Acceptance Model (TAM), and posits a sequential relationship among four primary dimensions: (1) intrinsic attributes of mobile device—portability and interface design; (2) ease of use; (3) extrinsic attributes of mobile device—simultaneity, speed, and searchability; and (4) perceived convenience of m-commerce. We posit that physical attributes of mobile device (portability and interface design) are antecedents of ease of use, which in turn determines three extrinsic attributes (simultaneity, speed, and searchability). The final dependent variable is perceived convenience. Based on prior research on TAM and gender theories, the study proposes 16 hypotheses, of which our data support 12. Our results indicate that the link between interface design and ease of use holds a key to motivate females’ use of m-commerce. In closing, implications are discussed while important limitations are recognized along with future research suggestions.This research was funded by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (National Plan for Research, Develop- ment and Innovation ECO2011-30105

Effects of displacement-reinforcement between traditional media, PCinternet and mobile internet: a quasi-experiment in Japan

The purpose of this investigation is to examine media displacement–reinforcement effects between traditional media, PC internet and mobile internet. The theoretical foundations draw on niche theory and enduring involvement, and adopt the satisfaction– attitude–loyalty chain as a core model. The surveys were conducted in Japan and resulted in 992 responses from a general consumer sample. Two scenarios (dining out and travel planning) were created to manipulate the level of enduring involvement. Our data fit the proposed model reasonably well, supporting 12 out of 14 hypotheses. The findings indicate that the more satisfied consumers are with traditional media and mobile internet, the more likely they are to perceive PC internet unfavourably as an alternative information source in both involvement situations. However, a favourable attitude towards mobile internet could act as a reinforcement motivator to use PC internet in high-involvement situations. Therefore, our findings support cross-media campaigns in high-involvement situations. In closing, significant limitations are recognised, and future research directions suggested.This research was supported by a grant provided by the Japan Academy of Advertisin

Exploring customer engagement behavior: construct proposal and its antecedents

Customer engagement behavior (CEB) receives increasing attention from both academics and practitioners, as it represents one of the key customer profitability determinants. This study attempts to provide a holistic view of CEB by (1) proposing an instrument to measure CEB, and (2) its antecedents. Based on the existent literature, we conceptualize CEB as a formative construct consisting of word-of-mouth (WOM), loyalty program participation, customer interaction, and co-creation, which are determined by relationship quality, rewards, selfenhancement, learning, social integration, and company identification. In attempt to test these propositions, an online survey is conducted with 466 respondents. Our results provide empirical support for our proposed CEB construct, while corroborating five out of the six hypothesized antecedents. In closing, theoretical as well as managerial implications are discussed, while important limitations are recognized and future research directions are propose

Right messages for the right site: On-line creative strategies by Japanese multinational corporations

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group inJournal of Marketing Communications on (2003), available online at:http://www.tandfonline.com/http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1352726032000129908The aim of this research was to compare the on-line creative strategies of Japanese multi-national corporations that are used at home and in foreign markets in the light of the standardization versus localization debate. Product-based websites created by the same Japanese firms were examined in Japan, Spain and the USA using a cross-cultural content analysis research framework. The findings show that Japanese multinational corporations are likely to localize their web communications through tailoring on-line creative strategies according to the target market. Domestically, soft sell approaches are used more than hard sell approaches in Japan, whilst the relation reverses in the USA. Spain equally weighs both approaches. Cross-culturally, while Japan tends to employ soft sell approaches more than the other countries, there is no significant difference across the three countries. On the other hand, the USA significantly differs from the others in terms of the usage of hard sell approaches. The dimension of creative executions in Spain seems more limited.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Yoshida Hideo Memorial Foundation, Toky