Facebook advertising, eWOM and consumer purchase intention-Evidence from a collectivistic emerging market

Abstract

Despite a growing body of work on the impact of cultural orientation on consumers’ attitudes and behavior, research investigating the effects of individualism-collectivism in social media advertising remains limited. Based on a theoretical framework founded on the theory of planned behavior, Ducoffes’s web advertising model, and further variables from related literature, this study aims to investigate how Facebook advertisements contribute to consumers’ purchase intention in an emerging market marked by high levels of collectivism. Through a sequence of research propositions that elucidate how individuals from a collectivistic culture make purchase decisions when exposed to Facebook advertisements, our study makes a significant contribution to attitudinal research as it establishes a better understanding of the use of advertising on Facebook to market products and services. Our findings confirm the necessity and importance of taking into account consumers’ cultural differences when advertising on social media sites.