Impact of the content characteristics of short message service advertising on consumer attitudes

We examined the influence of the overall content characteristic of short message service (SMS) advertising on consumer attitudes toward advertising on mobile devices. Attitudes of 246 Chinese (145 women, 101 men) toward permission-based SMS advertising received on electronic products were measured using structural equation modeling. Results showed that of the 4 dimensions of the overall content characteristic, entertainment, informativeness, and credibility positively and significantly influenced the attitude of consumers, whereas irritation had a negative effect. In addition, the overall content characteristic significantly impacted on consumer attitudes, with advertising value playing a mediating role. Finally, the influencing path coefficients revealed a significant difference according to gender. The credibility dimension had a greater impact on attitude toward the overall content characteristic for women than for men. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.