Ad Avoidance and Distance Education Marketing: How Ad Avoidance Can Affect Distance Education Advertising

Abstract

All distance education institutions need inform their target audience (in this case, target students) about their education programs. In order to do this, distance education institutions apply some marketing communication activities including advertising. Distance education institutions have to use media to send their messages to target audiences. But target audiences are already in an ad-cluttered media environment and find ads irritating, boring, and offensive. Because of this, audiences try to avoid ads with different ways. On the other hand, audiences' ad avoidance behavior is affected by some factors including attitudes toward an ad, ad clutter, and communication problems. This study aims to understand ad avoidance behavior and factors that affect ad avoidance. In the light of this understanding, distance education institutions may develop effective marketing communication programs and may manage ad avoidance.