• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.518-540
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• 2024

Mobile technologies have enabled marketers to target consumers anywhere and anytime. However, as consumers react and respond differently depending on what situation they are in, there is an apparent need to determine when, where, and what kind of advertisement is most relevant to the consumer. This paper proposes a holistic approach to examine the response of consumers when faced with two types of contextual factors (environmental/spatial and social contexts) through the lens of the Mobile Advertising Effectiveness Framework. We focus on the contextual effects of perceived distance from the offline store and the effect of popularity cue indication. A scenario-based survey is conducted to investigate the effects of perceived distance and popularity cue on the users' attitudes, and ultimately on their response intentions, upon receipt of mobile ads. Results of the study confirm the hypotheses: first, mobile ads sent when users perceive the physical store to be in close proximity tend to evoke more positive attitudes and elicit better responses compared to when users perceive the store to be farther away. Additionally, ad messages indicating high popularity were found to be more appealing than those with low popularity. These empirical results underscore the pivotal role of context, encompassing both spatial context (proximity to offline stores) and social context (popularity cues), in shaping consumer attitudes and response intentions in mobile advertising. The findings of the study offer theoretical insights that underline the significance of holistic context-based approaches that in turn, marketers may use to design more effective mobile ad campaigns that may elicit better responses from consumers.