To Analyze the Consumer Attitude towards SMS Mobile Advertisements, in the Telecom Industry of Pakistan

Abstract

Every organization is making huge investments on advertising and marketing in order to expand their business exponentially. In order to achieve the maximum clientele, they are resorting to all sorts of advertising (i.e. Outdoor advertising, mainstream media, paper media etc.). Industry has witnessed more advanced technological means for achieving the goal in last decade, one such method is SMS advertising which is becoming more popular with advent of smart phones. Mobile advertisements expenditure has seen a rise in the recent years. This can be mostly attributed to its personal nature and the fact that one can directly get in touch with the target customer. This study is focused on identifying people’s response to the SMS advertising and to identify their preferences in this regard, in order to maximize the impact of this effort on the business in Pakistan (questionnaires have been filled by Residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi). Data for the study has been obtained by using a well-designed questionnaire which has been adapted from an existing study. This has enabled the researcher to get a comprehensive insight into the consumer’s mind and analyze the probable responses to SMS advertising. Correlation based on the selected attitude sub-factors was tested and found that there is a significant relationship between them. Relationships between the sub-components was also tested and significant positive and negative relations were found. Most of these relations have already been established in different markets around the world. The same were held true in the Pakistani market as well. Finally, we establish that out of 8 Hypothesis 4 have been proved to be correct while the remaining 4 have been slightly over hypothesized. Eventually, this study highlights the grey areas that are being overlooked while resorting for SMS advertising such as the message relevancy, past experience playing a role in future responses etc. The productivity of SMS Advertising can be enhanced by a huge factor considering the proposed hypothesis capitalizing on likeness of customer behavior, and can be a game changer in achieving the best results.