The art and science behind advertising avoidance

• Main Authors: Ng, Chee Shyan, Ho, Jia Min
• Other Authors: Gerrit Maus
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication::Promotional communication; Social sciences::Psychology::Applied psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138150
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The advancement of technology gives rise to advertising avoidance. Removing advertisements undoubtedly improves the browsing experience of consumers but it is detrimental to the profitability of the advertisers. This emerging trend calls for a better understanding on advertising avoidance in order to design an advertisement that is beneficial to both consumers and advertisers. This paper analyses the reasons why consumers avoid advertisements. We have conducted a literature review on existing studies regarding advertising avoidance. Influential and well-studied factors are discussed. Predictors of advertising avoidance are mainly described from the consumer (advertising value, advertising intrusiveness, goal impediment, advertising clutter) and advertiser viewpoints (advertising scepticism, prior negative experience, perceived personalization of advertisement, privacy concern). Subsequently, two prominent theories have been discussed in this paper to explain advertising avoidance, namely psychological reactance theory and time allocation theory. In addition, the demographic characteristics of consumers (education level, income, age, gender) who are more likely to engage advertising avoidance have been analysed. The outcomes of advertising avoidance such as memory of the advertising content, purchase intention and damaged brand equity are reviewed. Lastly, we offered several strategies to advertisers to improve the effectiveness of the advertisements.