Direct Marketing Advertising: The Assents, the Dissents, and the Ambivalents

Using an established seven-factor model of advertising evaluation (representing three personal uses of advertising and four social effects of advertising), the authors explore consumers’ global beliefs regarding direct marketing advertising (DMA). Findings indicate that consumers hold positive beliefs regarding some aspects of DMA and negative beliefs regarding some others. Analysis suggests three segments of consumers based on their DMA beliefs: (1) a pro-DMA segment (the largest segment); (2) a critics-of-DMA segment, and (3) an ambivalent-toward DMA segment (30 percent of the sample). These segments differ with respect to their direct marketing attitudes, influence of personal and impersonal information sources, and demographic characteristics.