Smartphone-based mobile advertising is a promising marketing vehicle, especially in retail and point-of-purchase environments, yet we still do not know enough about what motivates consumers to turn to mobile advertising. This is particularly true of new forms of mobile advertising, like quick response (QR) codes, which rely on pull-based approaches, rather than push-style advertising. The study clarifies this omission by exploring various antecedents that encourage consumer use of mobile advertising. Relying on the uses and gratifications approach as a theoretical framework, this study tests three antecedents of new media adoption: institutional trust, involvement and market mavenism. Data are drawn from a representative sample of 401 American adults and their willingness to use QR codes in shopping environments within the context of purchasing sustainable products. The data were analysed using ordinary least squares regression. Results indicate government trust, buycotting and market mavenism are positively related to consumers' willingness to use mobile phone-based QR code advertising whereas corporate trust is negatively related. The results offer important theoretical and managerial implications: first, there is a need to include broader institutional trust variables in the uses and gratifications framework of new media use; second, QR code content should be carefully crafted to provide meaningful, usable information for involved consumers; and third, market mavens' tendency to share information should be harnessed by providing QR code content that is relevant, interesting and easily passed on to other consumers.
Infographics, which integrate visuals and text, can increase audience engagement with message content. Relying on two experiments, this study demonstrates the role of visuals for decisions to critically evaluate pro-environmental messages. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a theoretical foundation, we demonstrate that individuals engage in greater levels of issue-relevant thinking when shown infographics compared to messages that rely just on text or just on illustration, with learning preferences and visual literacy as moderators. The findings demonstrate that visual content is an important factor for persuasive message processing, and infographic messages hold opportunities for the communication of environmental issues.
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