Social media advertisements with deposit contracts and fitness club/gym membership: are consumers persuaded?

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the association of social media advertising with deposit contracts and consumers joining a fitness club/gym. Design/methodology/approach This paper surveyed 745 college students. Three deposit contract options were presented with goals of losing 5% of your original weight, losing 10 pounds from your weight and exercising for 75 min. Findings This paper found that consumers chose deposit contracts at higher rates than no contract or regular contract options. This paper found that behavioral control was positively associated with choosing a deposit contract. This paper found that presence of a weight problem was positively associated with choosing a deposit contract with very concrete goals of losing 10 pounds or exercising for 75 min while no association occurred for the less specific concrete goal of losing 5% of your original weight. Originality/value In conclusion, marketers can consider a novel advertising approach on social media of advertising deposit contract information to possibly interest consumers to join a fitness club/gym.