Advertising dislikeability in Asia

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine what can cause dislike of an advertisement's message in Asia. Television commercials were looked at specifically to provide an insight into the construct of advertising dislikeability and how it affects purchase intention and purchase frequency. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilizes the attention/salience hypothesis. A total of 931 people were questioned in five Asian cities (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jakarta, Bangkok and Mumbai) using telephone interviews. Findings – The results revealed 931 dislike attributes that were reduced to seven: style, meaningless, character, exaggeration, irresponsive, violent and hard-sell. There also appears to be a close relationship between the disliking of advertisements and purchase intention and purchase frequency. Practical implications – Findings indicate a strong relationship of the dislikeability variables with culture and religion in the five Asian cities and this must be taken seriously by advertisers. International advertisers need to pay attention to the local values and tradition and use the advertising communication message appropriately. Social implications – Advertisers must be acutely aware of the social norms in designing their advertisements and the findings here can be a guide for public and/or industry policy towards advertising. Originality/value – The paper has produced a new construct of advertising dislikeability and details how it affects purchase intention and purchase frequency. This construct can be further tested in other nations and situations, in order to develop an understanding of dislike towards advertising.