Previous research has provided insights into factors influencing attitudes toward advertising in general, and those factors influencing attitudes toward advertising in a particular medium. However, attitudes towards Facebook advertising, especially those of Generation Y, have received relatively little research attention, especially in the South African context. The Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) are heavy users of Facebook, and access the site on a daily basis. In South Africa, approximately 20 million of the country’s population of 52 982 000 fall into the Generation Y cohort; this makes them a salient market segment. Those engaged in tertiary education are of particular interest to marketers as a tertiary qualification is often an indication of higher future earning potential, and higher social status within a community. The purpose of this study was to propose and test a model of the possible determinants and inhibitors of Generation Y students‟ attitudes towards advertising, in the Facebook environment, within the South African context. The proposed model suggests that information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity and trust in site are predictors of attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment, while invasiveness of advertisements and time cost are inhibitors of attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment. The study hypothesised that information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity, trust in site, invasiveness of advertisements and time cost impact on Generation Y students‟ perceived value of advertisements on Facebook that in turn directly influence attitudes towards advertising on Facebook. The study followed a descriptive research design using a single cross-sectional sample and a self-administered survey questionnaire. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 students enrolled at three public higher education institutions (HEIs) of South Africa located in the Gauteng Province was drawn for the study. Lecturers at the three HEIs were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be distributed to their students during class. Of the questionnaires completed, there were 306 usable self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, Pearson’s Product-Moment correlation analysis and structural equation modelling. Before testing and confirming the hypothesised construct paths, a measurement model was developed based on the exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis. The results of the correlation analysis showed that invasiveness of advertisements and time cost did not have a significant relationship with the two endogenous constructs of value and attitude towards advertisements on Facebook. As such, the measurement model excluded these two constructs. The measurement model identified seven latent variables identifying attitudes towards advertisements in the Facebook environment as a seven-factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed, and the results confirmed the existence of convergent and discriminant validity. The measuring scale of this study also demonstrated composite reliability. The initial structural model (Structural Model A) hypothesised that information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity and site trust directly influence perceived value, which, in turn, influences overall attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment. Despite the fit indices indicating the overall fit of the hypothesised structural model as acceptable, the path between self-brand congruity and value, as well as the path between site trust and value, were negative and not significant. As such, a revised model based on the original measurement framework was tested. The revised structural model (Structural Model B) was tested to determine whether self-brand congruency and site trust have a direct positive influence on Generation Y students‟ overall attitude to advertising in the Facebook environment, rather than an indirect influence via their influence on perceived value. In Structural Model B, information value, entertainment value and credibility have a significant positive influence on Generation Y students‟ perceived value of advertisements on Facebook, and perceived value has a significant positive influence on attitudes towards advertisements on Facebook. Similar to the findings of previous studies, Structural Model B revealed that self-brand congruity and site trust have a significant positive and direct influence on Generation Y student‟ overall attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment. Furthermore, the revised model (Structural Model B) appears to fit the data better than that of Structural Model B. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the area of attitude towards advertising by empirically testing a model of factors influencing Generation Y‟s attitudes towards advertising in the Facebook environment, and ascertaining which factors act as antecedents to successful advertising on Facebook. It suggested that attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment is a seven-factor structure composed of overall attitude, information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity, trust in site and perceived value. The study also offers recommendations and guidance for marketers who seek to incorporate Facebook in their marketing communication mix. / PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/10628 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Dondolo, Hilda Bongazana |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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