The effect of culture on the consumers' assessment of advertisements on social networking sites; Cross-cultural analysis

Abstract

Do consumers of the same brand from different culture have the same perceptions while assessing the advertisements on Social Networking Sites' (SNSAs)? To answer this question, the data for this study were collected from brand communities' consumers (BCCs) on SNSs. 278 respondents from three different cultural backgrounds (Egyptians, Dutch and British) answered the questionnaires. Five main variables to collect the consumers' assessment of SNSAs were tested (information value, entertainment value, credibility value, interactivity value, and irritation value). Based on the empirical findings, the three groups perceived five of the six variables with significant difference F ratios. Consequently, their perception of the entertainment value of SNSAs has no significant differences between the three groups. Based on the cross-cultural theory, the findings of this study have some agreements and some contradictions, especially the influences of power distance and uncertainly avoidance. Moreover, the researchers used the Oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Post Hoc tests to compare between the assessments of the three groups.