Yah-Huei Hong

(FuJen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan)

 

 

Abstract: This study tries to find out whether Internet users tend to deliberately ignore Internet ads regardless of the format, and whether users tend to dislike pop-up ads more than button ads and are more likely to take action to avoid the former. The hierarchy of effects model is applied to explore the above questions. In addition, this study also attempt to probe if demographic variables and Internet use are able to significantly predict the cognitive, affective, and conative effects for those two kinds of Internet ads. An online survey was conducted by Taiwan’s InsightXplorer Limited, which returned a random sample of 1,078 Internet users1. The results showed a significant difference between button ads and pop-up ads in their cognitive, affective and conative effects. Respondents tended to ignore and dislike the pop-up ads more than the button ads. They were also more likely to take action against the pop-up ads. Furthermore, the older the respondents were, the more they tended to ignore and dislike the button ads. Male respondents were more likely to hate the button ads and take action against them. The frequency of Internet use correlated positively to the likelihood of taking action against the ads.

 

 

Key words: button ad; pop-up ad; the hierarchy of effects model; cognitive effect; affective effect; conative

effect

 

JEL codes: M370