Impact of mobile advertising wearout on consumer irritation, perceived intrusiveness, engagement and loyalty : a partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis

Purpose: Mobile and smart devices provide a platform for firms/brands to communicate directly with past, present, or potential consumers (via online pop-ups, sponsored ads, ads on social media messengers, timelines, and walls, etc.). Intense competition among firms and brands resulted in repetitive exposures to Ads by consumers. Existing research on human-mobile interaction and end-user mobile management only highlights the positive fronts of repetitive exposures to mobile ads, ignoring the negative. The present study examines the effects of Mobile Ad Wearout on irritation, intrusiveness, engagement, and loyalty via social media outlets. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were solicited from consumers in Jordan and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied on data (n = 388). Findings: The PLS-SEM results show that Mobile Ad Wearout is a strong determinant for increased perceived consumer irritation and intrusiveness. Intrusiveness resulted in lower levels of consumer engagement and higher levels of consumer loyalty. Irritation resulted in lower levels of consumer engagement; no changes were observed in consumer loyalty Practical implications: The study shows managers how Mobile Ad Wearout causes irritation and intrusiveness, which in turn diminishes consumer engagement and loyalty. In essence, managers can gain insights on the positive and negative outcomes of Mobile Ad Wearout. Originality/value: This study expands the conceptualization of repetitive mobile Ads by showing the negative fronts of mobile Ads. Implications for theory and practice offered, limitations and future research directions are discussed.