Towards an Analytical Framework to Understand Consumer Disengagement with Digital Advertising: An Abstract

Abstract

This study is dedicated to the understanding of digital disengagement. This phenomenon is seen in the context of digital advertising. Digital advertisements feature varied content related to products and services. This content is supposed to be in line with the requirements and life worlds of the individuals consuming the content of digital advertisements. If the content and presentation are in sync with the former, such digital advertisements are favoured with the preference of the individuals consuming them. Thus, digital advertisements face two specific outcomes in terms of the individuals consuming them: approach and avoidance. The basis of digital disengagement is the interaction with the digital advertisements based on the enhancement of the individual’s well-being. Hence, engagement and disengagement vary depending on the context of the consumers and their engagement. However, there are no studies that have attempted to discover disengagement, especially in the context of digital advertising. Therefore, this study has extensively studied the literature pertaining to consumer engagement. This was supplemented by an equally exhaustive review and study of fields related to disengagement. It was imperative to study these fields to effect vertical transfer. Vertical transfer is necessary when the area of study does not have literature that has investigated it. Based on this exhaustive review, we were able to discover the key dimensions necessary to understand digital disengagement; personal values, functionality, connectedness with daily activities and relations with the brands and products. In order to develop these dimensions into the integral parts of the framework to understand the nature of digital disengagement, we used the exploratory approach. We performed two studies, text mining and expert interviews. The first study involved the analysis of consumer Facebook comments based on 170 advertisements. This analysis extracted the relevant written information of the consumers with regard to digital advertisements. The second study involved eliciting specific information with regard to an unexplored area. In line with the same, we interviewed 15 experts. As a result of this in depth study, we were able to develop our framework at three levels. The first level consisted of the dimensions of functionality and well-being of consumers. The second level consisted of the dimensions of comprehension of the consumers’ desired end state. The final level had the dimensions of procedural flow, integrative capacity and praxeological extension. This framework can be used by academicians and practitioners to minimise the digital disengagement of the consumers.