A comparison of attitudes towards Internet advertising among lifestyle segments in Taiwan

Abstract

As the Internet gradually diffuses throughout more sectors in society many advertisers have begun to consider the diversity in various aspects of consumer behaviour among Internet users. As Internet users' attitudes towards Internet advertising are found to influence their brand attitudes and purchase intentions, the study can contribute to the design and assessment of Internet advertising. The study identified potential lifestyle segments among Internet users and examined the relationships between lifestyle segments and their attitudes towards Internet advertising. This study surveyed 700 Internet users and employed a lifestyle segmentation approach for categorizing consumers into three distinct lifestyle groups: ‘experiencers’, ‘traditionalists’ and ‘self‐indulgents’. Statistical analyses pointed out that all three groups differed from one another in several demographic characteristics. Moreover, the lifestyle clusters were found partly to predict Internet users' attitudes towards Internet advertising. The findings of the present study provide justifications for marketers to treat Internet users as a heterogeneous group. Furthermore, advertising researchers should be aware of the diversity of the Internet population in order to assess the effectiveness of Internet advertising better.