ABSTRACT
This exploratory study investigates the knowledge, perceptions, and intentions of advertising professionals in Belgium toward the introduction and use of IDTV as a marketing communication tool. In the first wave, a total of 320 advertising professionals cooperated in a web-survey that was posted just before the commercial launch of IDTV. 437 advertising professionals participated in the second wave, just one year after the commercial launch. The results show that their knowledge about the possibilities of IDTV was still very limited one year after the launch, reflecting also a rather troublesome result in terms of intentions to adopt IDTV. The intention rates measured in the first wave were relatively promising, taking into account that IDTV was not available at that moment, and the lack of knowledge about its possibilities. These intentions did not appear to be increased one year after IDTV launch. The growing perception of the low effectiveness of advertising on IDTV in combination with technological concerns that are rising after the first real-life try-outs may be the reasons for this threshold to use IDTV.
Additional information
Verolien Cauberghe is a Ph.D. student at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). Her research focuses on IDTV and advertising effectiveness.
Patrick De Pelsmacker is a Marketing Professor at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). His research interest focuses on branding, interactive advertising, and marketing communications.