Examining the role of beliefs and attitudes in online advertising : A comparison between the USA and Romania

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate online advertising across different cultures such as Romania and the USA. In the meantime, this paper attempts to examine the relationships among beliefs about online advertising, attitudes toward online advertising (ATOA), and consumer responses to online advertising. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys are conducted among 577 internet users from both Romania and the USA structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among variables. Findings – Belief factors (i.e. information seeking, entertainment, economy, credibility, and value corruption) are statistically significant predictors of ATOA; ATOA is a significant predictor of consumer responses to online advertising; as compared to Americans, Romanians tended to hold a more positive ATOA and are more likely to click advertisements, whereas Americans are more likely to buy online than do Romanians. Research limitations/implications – Convenient sampling technique and the operationalization of culture are main limitations associated with the paper. Practical implications – Findings may help businesses and organizations employ online advertising more effectively and efficiently in their global marketing endeavors. Originality/value – Currently little is known about online advertising in developing countries, particularly eastern European countries such as Romania. The current paper extends research on ATOA to a cross‐cultural context.