How does mobility affect social media advertising effectiveness? A study in WeChat

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how aspects of mobility affect social media advertising effectiveness (i.e. consumer purchase intention) on mobile platforms from the perspective of the fit-viability model. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through an online questionnaire survey of 378 WeChat users and used to test hypotheses with structural equation modeling. Findings: Consumer purchase intention is significantly positively influenced by time flexibility, spatial flexibility, mobile lifestyle and ad relevance. Meanwhile, ambivalence toward ads mediates the relationships of time flexibility and spatial flexibility with purchase intention and moderates the relationships of mobile lifestyle and ad relevance with purchase intention. Research limitations/implications: The findings offer researchers and practitioners a new angle to understand advertising effectiveness on mobile social media and extend the application of the fit-viability model. Originality/value: This paper fills the research gap on the role of mobility in social media advertising.