A model for short message service advertising avoidance determinants – an Iranian experience

Short Message Service (SMS) advertising is a growing phenomenon in the Iranian marketing industry. Many Iranian companies are intensively interested in SMS advertising for its low cost and comprehensive coverage. The vital challenge in using SMS as an advertising medium is mobile avoidance. In this research, a conceptual model containing six hypotheses was developed and tested. Using 211 self-reporting questionnaires and structural equation modeling (SEM), this study found that self-esteem and cynicism play a key role in SMS advertising skepticism (β = 0.29; p<0.05 and β = 0.33; p < 0.05, respectively). Positive subjective norms also impact SMS advertising skepticism negatively (β = -0.13; p<0.1). SMS advertising skepticism impacts SMS advertising avoidance positively (β = 0.85; p<0.01). Moreover, the current study demonstrated that cynicism had no significant impact on SMS advertising avoidance. Effects decomposition also revealed that SMS advertising skepticism had the largest effect on the SMS advertising avoidance. As a personal trait, cynicism is a negative attitude toward believability of others’ motivations and behaviors while advertising skepticism is a media-specific construct. To decrease the SMS avoidance, marketers need to decrease skepticism about SMS. They may use permission-based advertising and traditional advertising simultaneously.