Digital Intrusiveness of Unmentionable Products: Construct Differential Analysis Framework Approach

Abstract

In marketing research, it is important to measure consumers’ perceptions related to advertisements. Especially when these perceptions have the potential to set negative attitude. With rapid technological advancements, digital media advertising has become an important tool for advertisers to reach customers. Consumers’ perceptions of intrusiveness, irritation, and offensiveness are highly attributed to digital media advertising of unmentionable products. However, it is evident from the marketing literature that terms such as intrusiveness, irritation, and offensiveness are being interchangeably used. This leads to measurement issues of the consumers’ perceptions at the construct level. Therefore, this study considers it important to formally specify the relationships that exist between intrusiveness, irritation, and offensiveness. This formal specification was required to differentiate the concepts of intrusiveness, irritation, and offensiveness so that consumers’ perceptions at the construct level can be appropriately measured. To achieve this sixty definitions and instruments were extracted from existing literature and analyzed through a construct differential analysis framework. As a result of which hybrid dimensions mainly related to intrusiveness emerged. The hybrid dimensions exclusively representing intrusiveness are intrusive media, intrusive cognition, product intrusiveness, individual pre-dispositions, negative experience, social and cultural influences, religious beliefs, and behavioral outcomes. The insights of this study establish a need to develop a digital advertising intrusiveness construct incorporating the hybrid themes that emerged.