Adoption of mobile advertising [empirical evidence from a developing country]

The world has undergone rapid changes over the last three decades due to advances in Information and communication Technologies (ICT). Among the ICTs, mobile technology is seen to be the most favorable and rapidly evolving technology. Mobile technology is playing an increasingly significant role in the lives of people around the world. In developing economies, mobile phones have changed the lifestyles of people from all segments of the population. Mobile technology is easier, faster and considerably cheaper to deploy than fixed technology, making mobile technology the most feasible solution in closing the digital divide and socioeconomic gap between people. One of the new revenue generating areas for mobile operators is mobile advertising (m-advertising). In this paper, factors influencing consumer adoption of m-advertising in Malaysia is studied. Using a sample of 300 respondents in Malaysia, the study identifies Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Social Influence (SI) as the strongest factors influencing the acceptance of the m-advertising. The study provides valuable insights for policy makers and telecommunication operators in formulating policies to enhance m-advertising adoption in Malaysia.