Research investigating the development of trial purchase has recognised that the chosen advertising approach is a key influence in the trial process. This thesis describes a critique of the central and related literature surrounding the influence of advertising approach in a trial purchase context, with particular emphasis on the concept of disruptive advertising. This concept can be described as an overturning of convention for commercial benefit, and has been introduced to deal with change. Whilst it is clear that many brands achieve success via a consistent approach to advertising, it is also true that successful advertising is often rooted in 'doing something different'. The literature reveals that there is a lack of empirical work to date on brand/market situations in which a disruptive approach to advertising will be more appropriate and successful than a conventional approach at stimulating purchase or perhaps increasing awareness of a brand. In which situations should a disruptive advertising approach be applied? Phase 1 of the research investigates the possible link between a brand situation, the advertising strategy adopted and the brand success using existing advertising case materials. Focus group interviews are then utilised in phase 2 to gain some understanding of consumer attitudes towards different advertising approaches in different product markets and also to explore brand usage and brand choices in these markets. Content analysis is applied to the results of phases 1 and 2. Finally. phase 3 of the research more specifically investigates the influence of advertising approach on purchase intention within different product markets compared with other primary influencing factors. A questionnaire survey was administered to undergraduate students at the University of Plymouth for phase 3 and the results were analysed using individual item analysis and multiple regression. A generic model of 'The Influence of Advertising Approach in a Trial Purchase Context' is constructed from the literature and a modified version is used to discuss the results of the study. The results indicate that the choice of a disruptive or conventional advertising approach does affect intention to purchase a brand and that the nature of product involvement does influence intention to purchase a brand. However, the research has not been able to provide conclusive evidence as to the situations in which a disruptive advertising approach should be applied and consequently little can be recommended to managers regarding disruption on an operational basis. In addition, the study has provided little evidence to support the concept of disruption other than as an elaborate repackaging of positioning theory. Additional research using non-student populations and a greater selection of low involvement and high involvement markets is recommended, however, in order to validate the relationships found.

The mobile communication technology has evolved from the first generation (1G), when the first radiotelephone service was introduced in the US in late 1940s, to the third generation (3G). In each generation, different standards and technologies were promoted by technologically and economically advanced countries. For example, the major 1G communication standards were: AMPS promoted by the US, NMT promoted by Nordic countries, and TACS promoted by the UK. The second generation (2G) communication standards include GSM promoted by the European countries and CDMA (IS-95) promoted by the US. Behind these different standards, there are entire industry chains and huge profits. To catch up with these forerunners, lagging countries usually need to go through different stages including duplicative imitation, creative imitation, and then real innovation. In the 1G era, China did not have its own standard, but it adopted the British TACS systems. In the 2G era, China did not have its own standard, and it adopted both the European GSM systems and the US CDMA systems. However, when the 3G era was approaching, China decided to seize the opportunity and developed its own 3G standard: TD-SCDMA. In January 2009, China issued three different 3G licenses to three different operators who utilized TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, and CDMA2000, respectively. The Chinese proposed 3G standard began to be commercialized with this first licensee. China has been trying to catch up with the leading countries in the mobile communication industry. This thesis examines the question of whether this catching-up process was successful or not. The purpose of this thesis is to give readers insights into the Chinese 3G market, and to help them to understand the catching-up process being undertaken by China’s mobile communication industry. The thesis first introduces some background information about 3G, TD-SCDMA, and the Chinese telecom market. Then, it reviews theories of technological catching-up and leapfrogging. After that, it presents a case study of the TD-SCDMA Industry Alliance that examines six determinants measuring the catching-up process: Sources for Competitive Advantages, Strategies and Policies, R&D Efforts, R&D Outcome, and Market Success. The final part of the thesis gives answers to the research question and reveals the profound impact brought by the catching-up process of China’s mobile industry.

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