Acceptance of product placement in social networking sites: the mediating role of materialism

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors of product placement acceptance in social networking sites (SNSs) and the mediating role of consumer materialism in the relationship between SNSs usage frequency and product placement acceptance. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with a structured questionnaire for a sample of 327 SNSs users in Sri Lanka. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling with Smart PLS to test the hypotheses derived. Findings The results of this study revealed that SNSs usage frequency and consumer materialism positively predict the acceptance of product placement in SNSs and materialism partially mediates the relationship between SNSs usage frequency and product placement acceptance in SNSs. Originality/value This study fills the gap in the existing literature by finding the factors that predict the acceptance of product placement in SNSs and the mediation effect of consumer materialism in the relationship between SNSs usage frequency and acceptance of product placement in SNSs.