Title: A multidimensional framework of web browsers' trust and distrust of banner advertisements

Authors: Matthew P. Bunker, Darrell E. Bartholomew

Addresses: Department of Marketing, 345 Curris Business Building, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0126, USA. ' Spears School of Business, 405 C Business Building, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA

Abstract: Past research has explored the effectiveness of banner advertisements and how to increase banner advertisement click-through rates. But there is very little research regarding this question: Why are banner advertisement click-through rates extremely low? This study proposes one possible explanation for low banner advertisement click-through rates by exploring the multidimensional nature of consumer trust and distrust towards banner advertisements. Approximately 143 respondents filled out open-ended surveys detailing the reasons why they click (or avoid clicking) banner advertisements. The findings show that trusting the host website and trust in the banner advertisement|s brand name significantly influence clicking on a banner advertisement. On the other hand, there are multiple antecedents that lead to consumers| distrust of banner advertisements. These antecedents include virus and spyware, scams, unwanted pop-ups, privacy concerns, redirection to unexpected websites, spam, negative Word-of-Mouth (WOM) regarding banner advertisements and a general distrust of banner advertisements.

Keywords: business information systems; internet; world wide web; banner advertisements; banner ads; click-through rates; advertising; consumer trust; distrust; brands; negative word-of-mouth; websites; spam; spyware; software viruses; privacy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2010.029478

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2010 Vol.5 No.1, pp.19 - 33

Published online: 30 Nov 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article