The issue of credibility between customers’ perceptions and the attitude toward Facebook advertising

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Among marketing professionals, the use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) as a platform for advertising is on the rise, despite ongoing concerns regarding credibility and trust in privacy related to advertising on these sites. Consequently, this study explored how customer perception factors, namely Perceived Interactivity, Advertising Avoidance, and Privacy, affect attitudes towards Facebook advertisements and how these perception factors moderate these attitudes. This research was conducted in Amman, Jordan, and data were collected from undergraduate students enrolled in the Digital Marketing program at Applied Science Private University (ASU) in 2024 using purposive sampling methods via Google Forms. This sample was chosen due to students’ high engagement with social media and their relevance as future marketing professionals, yielding 277 valid responses to be analyzed, and the hypotheses were tested using smart PLS through Structural Equation Modelling. The analysis revealed that Perceived Interactivity, Advertising Avoidance, and Privacy positively impacted attitudes towards Facebook advertisements, with coefficients and significance levels as follows: β = 0.122, t = 5.545, p < 0.003, β = 0.324, t = 2.643, p < 0.002, and β = 0.046, t = 3.833, p < 0.003, respectively. Moreover, credibility was identified as a moderating factor influencing the relationships among Perceived Interactivity, Advertising Avoidance, and Privacy, with significant results of β = 0.043, t = 3.909, p < 0.003, β = 0.055, t = 2.291, p < 0.004, and β = 0.072, t = 2.067, p < 0.001), respectively. This research provides advertising agencies with essential insights for effectively managing online advertising strategies.