Abstract:
Social network use is a global phenomenon, with Facebook taking prime position as preferred social network service. Use of Facebook is huge in developed and developing economies, yet the immense marketing potential of Facebook’s full range of advertising tools (paid and free/organic) has been under-researched. This cross-country study examines advertising on Facebook. Social influence theory and regulatory focus theory provide the theoretical grounding. Data for a sample of 802 respondents (South Africa n = 401; Australia n = 401) were gathered. The results of structural equation modeling show that in both a developed context (Australia) and a developing context (South Africa), there are significant relationships between the constructs considered in the model (privacy concerns, trust, importance of control, advertising intrusiveness, attitudes toward ads, advertising value, attitudes toward Facebook advertising, and behavior toward the advertised and ad message). Importantly, however, these contexts differ in terms of users’ avoidance approaches.
