The influence of Mxit advertising on purchase intentions and purchase amid Generation Y

Abstract

Generation Y is the first high-tech generation and is completely dependent on mobile devices and social media to complete various daily tasks, since these individuals have grown up in an epoch of rapid technological innovation and development. Social media’s escalation in popularity has been noticed by organisations who desire to find new ways to reach young online communities. Mxit is a social network site in South Africa that allows marketing managers to communicate with consumers via a number of marketing communication options. A steady flow of literature has emerged on social media as a marketing communication tool over the past five years, primarily from first-world countries, academic research has not kept pace within South Africa. Hence, the primary objective of this investigation was to establish Generation Y’s purchase intentions and purchase sentiment towards Mxit advertising. A survey method was utilised to collect 1 228 self-administered questionnaires from Generation Y respondents. Mxit advertising was confirmed to have relatively positive behavioural responses and several demographic and usage variables also had a significant effect. This study has added to the relatively small pool of data to assist academics and practitioners to understand the influence of Mxit advertising on South Africa’s youth.