West African Immigrants Perceptions of Advertising in General and Impact on Buying Decisions

Abstract

Despite the increasing attention to African immigrants in the United States, and the pivotal role that advertising messages play in the immigrant community, examination of African immigrants’ purchasing behavior and perceptions of advertising have been overlooked by marketing scholars. The purpose of this research is to investigate West African immigrants’ perceptions of advertising in general and its impact on buying decisions. Data analyses extract five perceptual factors toward advertising in general, namely, “advertising is a pleasure and affects perceptions,” “advertising heightens vanity,” “advertising intensifies materialism,” “advertising enhances social role and image,” and “advertising is good for the economy.” With the exception of “advertising heightens vanity,” all the identified factors impact buying decisions. The overall results show that consumers rely on a broad scope of information about the impact of advertisements on standards of living and the economy. This study can be of value to marketing scholars, practitioners, and policy makers interested in the United States African immigrant community.