Do Consumers Trust Mobile Service Advertising?

Abstract

Mobile services have rapidly become an important way for consumers to communicate, encounter services and exchange information. Marketers are increasingly using this channel for brand related advertising communications. However they have found that consumers are reluctant to try and adopt new mobile services and/or other products/services in response to advertising, unless the consumer has established trust. This research investigates whether consumers trust advertising communications sent by marketers through mobile service channels. To answer this question we measure trust-related factors that are antecedent to the consumer's overall trust in these advertising communications and their relationship to the consumer's willingness to buy the advertised brand. Our model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that the reputation of the vendor, disposition to trust, structural assurance, perceived ease of use, third party assurance and perceived privacy have the highest impact on consumer trust and willingness to buy. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]