Like it or not: differences in advertising likeability and dislikeability within Asia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine Asian consumers' attitudes towards television advertisements (ads) to provide an insight into the antecedents and consequences of liked and disliked ads and the cultural differences that influence these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – A matched sample of young consumers from four Asian cities was asked to nominate ads that they both liked and disliked. They also provided reasons as to why they were liked and disliked and the effect this had on their purchase intentions. The results were analysed using multiple and logistic regression. Findings – Findings show that ad likeability increases if people feel that advertising provides something to talk about. Conversely, people who find advertising annoying have higher ratings of ad dislikeability. Results also show that a close relationship exists between liking (disliking) television ads and buying more (less) of the advertised products. However, differences exist between Asian cities. Practical implications – The results suggest that adherence to a standardised regional advertising strategy based on assumptions that close geography and a seemingly sufficiently close culture within the Asian region is appropriate, could lead to disappointing results. The only commonality is that disliked ads reduce intention to purchase. Originality/value – Previous research does not consider the unique influences of ad likeability and dislikeability in the decision of whether to standardize or adapt advertising within the Asian region.