The Web Motivation Inventory

Abstract

The Web Motivation Inventory (WMI) is used in internet advertising research, and is frequently used and cited in advertising, marketing and communication literature. Investigations of the robustness of the WMI have been somewhat limited. Additionally, new uses of the internet are not accounted for by the WMI since its publication in 2002. This paper replicates and extends the original WMI using participants in the US, UK and Australia and includes internet motives not previously examined. The results show that the four-factor WMI remained reliable and valid for all three samples. Findings suggest the extended WMI may be broken into 12 sub-scales that represent the original fourfactor measure.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shelly Rodgers

Shelly Rodgers, Ph.D., is an associate professor of strategic communication at the Missouri School of Journalism. Her research areas are interactive advertising, marketing and communication with emphasis on information processing of health messages in new media contexts.

Ye Wang

Ye Wang is an MA student of strategic communication at the Missouri School of Journalism. Her research interests include international and cross-cultural advertising and new technology.

Ruth Rettie

Ruth Rettie, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and director of the eCommerce Consumer Research Unit in the School of Marketing, Kingston University, London. Her research interests include eCommerce, internet marketing and communication theory.

Frank Alpert

Frank Alpert, PhD, is an associate professor at the UQ Business School, University of Queensland, Australia. His research areas include marketing strategy, marketing management, brand management, product management, marketing education and entertainment software industry.