Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

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Telematics and Informatics

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tele

Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile

advertising
Ibeawuchi K. Enwereuzor
Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The increasing numbers of telecoms subscribers in Nigeria and the concomitant spate of
Received 14 March 2017 mobile advertising suggest that the time is ripe to begin to pay research attention to this
Received in revised form 2 April 2017 area. Newspaper and anecdotal evidence in Nigeria suggest that consumers view such
Accepted 5 April 2017
advertisements pejoratively since they are usually unsolicited. Therefore, the purpose of
Available online xxxx
the present study was to use phenomenological design and semi-structured interviews
to empirically examine consumers’ experiences as recipients of unsolicited phone call-
Keywords:
based mobile advertising and efforts they have made thus far in addressing the issue.
Consumers
Mobile advertising
Twelve mobile subscribers (six males and six females) within the ages of 25 and 49 years
Mobile advertisements participated in the study. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that consumers are
Unsolicited phone call-based mobile generally resentful about unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertising. They may, how-
advertising ever, be receptive to such advertising depending on whether they are informative and
Attitudes toward mobile advertising entertaining, permitted, and personalised to suit their mood, time, and context. Also, some
Nigeria consumers have not attempted to address the issue of unsolicited phone call-based mobile
Advertisements advertising whereas those that have tried before are reluctant in doing so again since pre-
vious attempts were unsuccessful. The implications of these findings to consumer satisfac-
tion in telecoms sector in Nigeria were discussed. It was recommended that telecoms
network operators in Nigeria should allow consumers to make their own choice and also
consider consumers’ personal interests and preferences when designing mobile
advertisements.
Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

The deregulation of the telecoms sector in Nigeria facilitated the advent of the Global System for Mobile Communications
(GSM) operations in Nigeria in the year 2001. Since then, Nigerians have witnessed tremendous transformation in the tele-
coms industry like never before. Telecoms became easier as individuals no longer have to rely on the Nigerian Telecommu-
nications Limited (NITEL), the sole body formerly saddled with the responsibility of providing telecoms services in Nigeria.
Following the deregulation, GSM operators such as Econet Wireless (now known as Airtel), Mobile Telecommunications
Network (MTN), Globacom, Etisalat, among others, decided to invest in the Nigerian telecoms sector. Though initially very
expensive, the cost of GSM services has considerably reduced over time. For example, during its inception in Nigeria, the
pioneering mobile networks operators initially pegged a call at ₦50 per minute since there was no per second call rate then.
However, the granting of licenses to other mobile network operators in Nigeria, perhaps, brought about competition that
ultimately culminated in per second billing. Today, most of these GSM operators in Nigeria offer their subscriber identity

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
0736-5853/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
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2 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

module (SIM) only for a paltry sum of money or even free of charge, making it affordable to many individuals. Many mobile
network subscribers even own and operate multiple SIM cards. What is more, Nigerians now have access to services that
were not possible before, including but not limited to mobile banking, online payments, cheaper local and international call
rates, and cheaper data bundles. Currently, the telecoms industry in Nigeria is said to be one of the fastest growing both in
Sub-Saharan Africa (Afolabi and Ojo, 2015) and the world at large (Olatokun and Ojo, 2015). Since its introduction in Nigeria,
the number of consumers has witnessed unprecedented growth. As of December 2016, the number of active GSM lines in
Nigeria stood at 154,124,602, Code Data Multiple Access (CDMA) was 217,566 while fixed wired/wireless was 154,513 (Nige-
rian Communications Commission; NCC, 2016).

1.1. Trends of mobile advertising in Nigeria

As the mobile technology advances, its functions are also evolving to accommodate the demands of consumers. One of the
emerging trends in mobile communication is mobile advertising. The advent of GSM has paved the way for mobile adver-
tisement as a new medium of advertising in Nigeria. According to Leppäniemi et al. (2004), mobile advertising involves per-
suading individuals to buy products and services through the use of mobile devices. Herein, it refers to a form of
advertisement that conveys advertising messages to users through wireless communication devices such as mobile phones,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), or any other wireless communication apparatus (Mobile Marketing Association, cited in
Chen and Hsieh, 2012). Such advertisements aim to elicit patronage from individuals. The message contained in such adver-
tisements may focus on brand imaging, coupon, promotion, information transfer, direct purchase, or voucher. The message
can also be text or voice-based.
Mobile advertising has two types: push- and pull-type (Leppäniemi et al., 2004; Zhang, 2007). The push-type approach
refers to traditional advertising which involves sending information directly to recipients through the radio and television,
which attracts low level of involvement from recipients (Liu, 2008; Park et al., 2008; Tsang et al., 2004). In push-based, the
way in which the information is transferred lies with the advertising agency involved. However, for the pull-based strategy,
the information received by the consumer is sent based on the permission of the consumer (Nasco and Bruner, 2008). That is,
in pull-based advertising, information on specific products and services are sent to consumers based on their consent. This
approach helps in reducing the impact of such message constituting a disturbance to the consumer (Ünal et al., 2011). Suc-
cinctly stated, mobile advertising may be considered pull- or push-based depending on whether it was solicited or not.
In respect to mobile advertising in Nigeria, a pull-based mobile advertising refers to adverts that are sent to the consumer
based on their permission, such as those pertaining to health tips, football updates and the like, especially through subscrip-
tion. Unlike the pull-based, the push-based mobile advertising are advertisements that are sent to the consumer without
their permission. They are unsolicited and not based on subscription, for example, an unexpected phone call conveying
advertisement about goods and services. Such calls usually come from four, five, six, or eleven-digit numbers. It is easier
for consumers to discern that calls coming from these types of numbers are for advertising purposes even before picking
such calls than those that stem from eleven-digit number. Hence, they can easily choose to ignore such calls because the
conventional SIM in Nigeria comes with eleven-digit number. Sometimes, it is only after consumers have picked the
eleven-digit phone call-based mobile advertising that they eventually realise that it was meant to convey advertisement.
In most cases, consumers in Nigeria usually get the unsolicited mobile advertisements which have continued to generate
lots of concerns from consumers (see Olaleye, 2016).
Mobile advertising can also come in the form of short messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), or
phone call. However, the present study opted for phone call-based mobile advertising because not much scholarly attention
has been given to it.
As it stands, mobile advertising is now a new form of advertising in Nigeria. This may be attributed to the size and porta-
bility of mobile phones, and the importance of staying connected throughout the day by its users, which may have made
advertisers to seize the opportunity to deliver advertisements. These suggest that whenever and wherever consumers are,
advertisements can reach them on the go. It could also be attributed to attempts by advertisers to gain competitive edge over
competitors, and to attract new customers as well as retain old ones. For mobile network operators in Nigeria, this compe-
tition may have been intensified by the mobile number portability (MNP) which enables subscribers to switch their mobile
network provider without having to change their SIM number.
As the number of mobile phone consumers continues to increase coupled with the emergence of mobile advertising in
Nigeria, there is need for researchers to understand the experiences of consumers since the consumers are the recipients
of such advertisements. Newspaper (see Olaleye, 2016) and anecdotal evidence in Nigeria suggest that consumers hold neg-
ative attitudes toward mobile advertising, as consumers have complained that such advertisements were unsolicited and
impinge on their privacy. The advertisements sometimes even indicate that consumers have been enlisted into some services
without their consent. However, it seems that there is a dearth of studies that have subjected such claims to empirical scru-
tiny in Nigeria.
Nevertheless, previous studies on mobile advertising in other climes have made great strides in enriching our under-
standing on putative factors that influence consumers’ adoption and attitudes toward mobile advertising (e.g. Gao and
Zang, 2016; Hsiao and Chang, 2014; Izquierdo-Yusta et al., 2015). However, in spite of the remarkable progress made so
far in this area, the current state of knowledge appears to be incomplete. For instance, majority of these studies (see Table 1)
focused only on SMS-based mobile advertising, or failed to even specify the type of mobile advertising. Hence, attitudes of

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
(2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx 3

Table 1
Summary of previous empirical researches.

SN Author(s) Type Participants Form of mobile advert Country

1 Carroll et al. (2007) Qualitative and Students SMS New Zealand
quantitative
2 Muk (2007) Quantitative University students SMS America and
Korea
3 Soroa-Koury and Yang Quantitative University students Mobile advertising in United States
(2010) general
4 Ünal et al. (2011) Quantitative Consumers who use mobile phones and receive SMS Turkey
mobile adverts
5 Liu et al. (2012) Quantitative University students SMS Austria and
Japan
6 Noor et al. (2013) Quantitative Mostly undergraduate and graduate students Mobile advertising in Malaysia
general
7 Hsiao and Chang Quantitative 66% students Mobile advertising in Online-based
(2014) general
8 Huq et al. (2015) Quantitative 22.3% students Mobile advertising in Bangladesh
general
9 Hymavathi (2015) Quantitative Consumers who use mobile phones and receive SMS India
mobile adverts
10 Izquierdo-Yusta et al. Quantitative Consumers who use mobile phones and receive Mobile advertising in Spain
(2015) mobile adverts general
11 Gao and Zang (2016) Quantitative University students SMS China
12 Martínez-Ruiz et al. Quantitative Consumers who use mobile phones and receive SMS Spain
(2017) mobile adverts

consumers toward phone call-based mobile advertising have rarely been empirically examined. In this regard, Liu et al.
(2012) call on researchers to delve into other types of advertising beyond text messages. Moreover, most of these studies
were quantitative and involved students as samples. Thus, researchers (Hsiao and Chang, 2014; Liu et al., 2012; Soroa-
Koury and Yang, 2010) encourage research in this area to be conducted with a broader range of mobile consumers to enhance
generalisation. Therefore, using diverse sample would help in enhancing the generalisation of the findings of the present
study to both within and beyond student population. Besides, additional information from qualitative studies to complement
those from quantitative studies also seems warranted since qualitative studies have been lagging behind vis-à-vis quantita-
tive studies. Unlike quantitative studies, qualitative studies would give consumers ‘unrestricted’ opportunity to share their
experiences concerning unsolicited mobile advertising. At the same time, qualitative studies also avail a researcher the
opportunity to observe none verbal cues such as facial expressions, tone, timbre and the like. Added to these, most previous
studies are mostly domiciled in Asia, Europe, and the United States. As such, it is uncertain if what was found in these studies
can be extrapolated to Nigeria given the cultural differences between these countries and Nigerian. This is because even a
globally generic mobile advertising could still elicit different responses from people of different cultural backgrounds (Xu,
2006).
The present study therefore attempts to complement and extend research in this area by using phenomenological design
and semi-structured interview to examine consumers’ experiences when they receive unsolicited phone call-based mobile
advertisements. That is, to provide a rich account of the claims and concerns of the person-in-context (mobile consumers)
and making sense of such claims and concerns. Capturing such experiences together with the efforts made by consumers to
address the issue of unsolicited mobile advertising could help in understanding efforts that are effective, ineffective, or need
modification, which are important in policy formulation and implementation regarding mobile advertising in Nigeria.

2. Literature review

2.1. Theoretical perspectives

It has been observed that the number of mobile phone users is increasing and these users usually receive phone call-
based mobile advertisements. Although it has been reported that consumers generally hold a negative attitude toward
mobile advertising (Gao and Zang, 2016), these may be dependent on whether the advertisements were permitted or not,
since they may feel disturbed if they were not permitted (Ünal et al., 2011). For instance, the conceptual model of permission
and acceptance (Barnes and Scornavacca, 2004) identified some factors which are assumed to have important influence on
consumers’ acceptance of mobile advertising. Three factors were reported by Barnes and Scornavacca (2004) to influence
consumers’ acceptance of mobile advertising. They are: user permission, wireless service provider (WSP) control, and brand
trust. Permission of the user was proposed as the most important factor by Barnes and Scornavacca. Permission-based
mobile advertising involve obtaining consumers’ consent to receive such advertisements before they are sent to them by
the advertisers. Therefore, it is argued that if consumers gave their consent to receive phone call-based mobile advertise-
ments, they are likely not going to experience negative feelings about it as compared to if the advertisements were unso-

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
(2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
4 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

licited. In that sense, Deighton and Kornfeld (2009) stated that permission-based mobile advertising helps in customizing the
message to target consumers in specific context.
In addition, the Barnes and Scornavacca’s (2004) model posited that brand trust fosters willingness to accept mobile
advertisements. It can be explained on the grounds that if consumers trust their WSP, then they may be confident in the type
of mobile advertisements coming from the WSP. As such, the mobile advertisements are more likely to be permitted because
they have been tested and trusted. However, if personal information of consumers is used without permission, the con-
sumers may no longer trust the WSP or network operator as well as the mobile advertisements coming from them
(Carroll et al., 2007).
Consumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising can also be explained by the uses and gratification (U & G) theory (Liu
et al., 2012; Okazaki, 2004). The U & G theory posit that the extent to which recipients of advertisement perceive the adver-
tisement to be useful to them and can satisfy their gratification, contribute to their attitudes toward such advertisement.
Information is very important in advertising because it elicits positive reactions from recipients (Aitken et al., 2008). Infor-
mation therefore can be said to represent the ‘‘U” aspect of the U & G theory (Liu et al., 2012). Without doubt, experiencing
phone call-based mobile advertisements is likely to elicit some feelings from consumers and subsequently, prompt some
reactions from them in this regard. Such feelings may be positive or negative depending on the content of the advertisement.
For instance, it has been reported that consumers prefer advertisements that are personalised and useful to suit their inter-
ests (Robins, 2003). They also value advertisements that contain infotainment (Liu et al., 2012). In that case, the quality of
information that consumers perceive to be contained in the phone call-based mobile advertisements they receive should
influence their feelings and reactions toward the advertisement. In addition, it has been reported that consumers’ feeling
of enjoyment when they receive mobile advertisements contribute to favourable attitude toward the advertisements (Gao
and Zang, 2016). By extension, entertainment can be posited to represent the ‘‘G” dimension of the U & G theory (Liu
et al., 2012). Therefore, entertaining advertisement is likely to influence consumers’ feelings and reactions toward the
advertisement.
From the perspective of learned helplessness hypothesis (Maier and Seligman, 1976), consumers who hold a negative
attitude toward phone call-based mobile advertising will try to ensure that they stop getting such advertisements because
they believe that their efforts will yield positive results. Such efforts at stopping the advertisements may include calling the
customer care, going to the office of the network operator to complain, just to mention a few. However, if such efforts fail to
yield the desired outcome of putting a stop to the advertisements, the probability that they will continue to expend more
efforts will decrease.

2.2. Empirical studies on consumers and mobile advertising

Researchers across the globe have conducted several studies in order to understand consumers’ attitudes toward mobile
advertising. In New Zealand for example, Carroll et al. (2007) used a sequential, mixed method design to explore consumers’
perceptions and attitudes toward SMS-based mobile advertising. Carroll et al. found that permission, content, wireless ser-
vice provider (WSP) control, and delivery of the message determine the acceptance of the mobile advertising.
In a cross-cultural study, Muk (2007) investigated the differences between American and Korean consumers’ interests in
accepting SMS-based mobile advertising through their mobile phones. Muk found that consumers’ attitudes and beliefs were
positively related to intentions to opt into SMS-based mobile advertising. In another cross-cultural study involving samples
of undergraduates from Japan and Austria, Liu et al. (2012) demonstrated that infotainment and credibility were predictive
of advertising value. Furthermore, Japanese sample were more irritated by mobile advertising as compared to their Austrian
counterparts.
Noor et al. (2013) examined the attitudes of Malaysian consumers toward mobile advertising and their intention to pur-
chase the advertised products and services. Noor et al. found that consumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising was pos-
itively related to their intention to purchase the advertised products and services. Permission also partially mediated the
relationship between consumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising and purchase intention.
In an online-based study, Hsiao and Chang (2014) demonstrated that perceived value, perceived usefulness, and satisfac-
tion of consumers were critical in consumers’ continuance intention to receive mobile advertisements. More recently,
Martínez-Ruiz et al. (2017) also corroborated the importance of perceived usefulness in engendering positive attitudes
toward mobile advertising in Spain. Similarly, Wu (2016) also found that advertising value increases advertising acceptance
within mobile social networks (MSNs) among undergraduates of a large United States university. In India, Hymavathi (2015)
investigated the frequency of consumers’ behavioural response to SMS-based mobile advertising. Hymavathi found that con-
sumers mostly read it occasionally, followed by read and reject, read it immediately, and delete it immediately.
In a Spanish study, Izquierdo-Yusta et al. (2015) found that attitudes toward mobile advertising was positively related to
intentions to receive mobile advertising among consumers with mobile access to the Internet and those without such access.
In addition, perceived value of advertising as a source of information was related to favourable attitudes toward mobile
advertising.
In a recent Chinese study involving college students, Gao and Zang (2016) found that the entertainment, credibility, and
personalisation of mobile advertising were positively related to consumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising while irri-
tation was negatively related to attitudes toward mobile advertising. Furthermore, even though consumers may hold neg-

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
(2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx 5

ative attitudes toward mobile advertising, they are sometimes willing to accept such advertisements especially if incentives
were attached.
As is evident from the foregoing, consumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising is determined by factors such as per-
mission, perceived usefulness, credibility, information, entertainment, personalisation, irritation, and value of the advertise-
ment. However, in spite of the fact that mobile advertisements are not only SMS-based, but also phone call-based, research
on consumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising so far has mainly focused on SMS-based advertising, without paying
attention to phone call-based mobile advertising. The present study attempts to redress this imbalance by focusing on phone
call-based mobile advertising. In effect, this study has two overriding research questions:
RQ1. How do consumers feel when they receive unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements?
RQ2. What efforts have consumers made thus far in addressing the issue of unsolicited phone call-based mobile
advertisements?
In formulating the research questions in the present study, the guidelines offered by Agee (2009) for writing qualitative
research questions were employed by seeking the views of others in the development of draft questions, avoiding questions
that participants might find offensive, developing questions that are focused, and putting the research questions at the end of
the literature review, among others.

3. Method

3.1. Participants

Participants in the present study were 12 mobile phone owners and users who were conveniently drawn from a locality
in the southeastern part of Nigeria. Participants were selected from this locality because of the opportunity it affords in
selecting individuals from different spheres of life and occupational background, perhaps due to the presence of a large fed-
eral university. This approach helped in enhancing generalising and also overcoming some of the limitations identified in
previous studies with mostly student samples. The participants included six males and six females, between the ages of
25 and 49 years with a mean age of 32.83 years (SD = 7.77). Table 2 provides a summary of the participants’ demographics.
The number of participants in the present study is in line with the recommended number of three to sixteen participants
required for phenomenological studies (Smith et al., cited in Robinson, 2014). Guest et al. (2006) also posited that for qual-
itative studies aimed at understanding perceptions and experiences among individuals, twelve interviews should suffice.
Besides, Starks and Trinidad (2007) have argued that it not compulsory that large samples must be used in order to generate
quality data sets.

3.2. Data collection

Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to collect data between November and December 2016. An interview
guide (see Appendix) was developed to give direction to the interview. Convenient sampling technique was used to select
participants. That is, potential participants in close proximity who met the criteria required for participation and were will-

Table 2
Demographics of participants.

Category Frequency % M SD
Gender
Female 6 50
Male 6 50
Age 32.83 7.77
25–40 10 83.3
41–56 2 16.7
Marital Status
Married 6 50
Unmarried 6 50
Education .58 .51
NCE/OND 4 41.7
Bachelor’s degree 8 58.3
Occupation 4.33 2.71
Teaching 2 16.7
Business/trading 2 16.7
Jobseeker 1 8.3
University student 2 16.7
Nursing 1 8.3
Non-academic staff of a university 1 8.3
Police 1 8.3
Bank employee 1 8.3
Housewife 1 8.3

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6 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

ing to participate, were contacted by the researcher. The criteria were that they own a mobile phone, have received phone
call-based mobile advertisement during the past one month, and understand and speak English language.
The purpose and protocol of the study were explained to each participant verbally. Individuals who agreed to participate
were interviewed on a first-come-first-serve basis in line with the criteria until the required number of twelve participants
for the study was achieved. In order to elicit honest responses from participants, the researcher pointed out that the inter-
view is not about right or wrong answer but purely on their experiences of unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertise-
ments. Participants were not incentivised. The interviews were conducted in English language in places perceived to be
conducive by the participants. Three already recorded phone call-based mobile advertisements (lasting for 97 s collectively)
were played as examples to each participant prior to the beginning of the interview. This was done in order to refresh their
memory and to help them recall their experiences. Each interview lasted for approximately 10 min, and they were audio-
recorded. Probes were used to further understand the points raised by the participants.

3.3. Ethical considerations

To ensure that the study was ethically compliant, informed consent of each participant was sought from them. Partici-
pants were also allowed to choose the venue for their interviews. The confidentiality of the data was guaranteed as all data
were collected without the names and phone numbers of participants, thereby making it somewhat difficult to be able to
trace responses to a particular individual.

3.4. Design and data analysis

This study is based on phenomenological design. This type of design can be used to capture participants’ experiences of a
specific event (Larkin et al., 2006) such as that of unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertising for consumers. According
to Larkin et al. (2006), it involves intensive and detailed analysis of accounts produced by a few number of participants that
are obtained through semi-structure interviews, focus groups, or diary and then analysed and presented in a thematic form.
Hence, the data in the present study were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. ‘‘Thematic analysis is a
method for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within data” (Braun and Clarke, 2006: 79). It captures
important aspects of the data that are in line with the research question, and embodies meaningful patterned response
within the data (Braun and Clarke, 2006). This involves a-six step guidelines of repeated readings of the transcript, coding
the data, grouping the data, identifying themes, naming the themes, and presenting the report of the analysis in a scholarly
way (Braun and Clarke, 2006).
The researcher and a peer who is knowledgeable in qualitative study reviewed the transcripts, checked the accuracy of
the coding segments, examined the themes for responses that may not be in line with the theme, and labels assigned to
the themes. More specifically, the researcher and the peer independently went through the transcript and identified patterns
of responses that are deemed relevant to the research questions which were used to form themes and subthemes. Then we
met to look at the themes and subthemes we have identified and the quotations that were used to illustrate them. The
themes and subthemes were identical given that they were derived from patterned responses in the transcript and both
of us are familiar with qualitative study. We however have to discuss and reach agreement on the exact words that should
be used to best captured each theme, subtheme, and the type and number of quotations used to represent them. This process
led to modification of the choice of words used to depict each theme and subthemes such that a couple of subthemes were
compressed to form a composite subtheme while others were expanded to form different subthemes. All in all, this method
was used to reconcile differences in interpretation. This approach also helped in establishing confidence in the data analytic
process (Leonarczyk and Mawn, 2015) in the present study.

4. Results

Thematic analysis of the data yielded several themes. Excerpts from the interviews were used to illustrate the themes.

5. Feelings

In terms of the research question on how consumers feel when they receive unsolicited phone call-based mobile adver-
tisements, two major themes were discovered. One of them is negative feelings, with subthemes such as annoyance and irri-
tation, disturbance, lack of interest due to loss of money after receiving such calls, suspicion of fraudulent activities, and
disappointment. The other one is receptiveness, with three subthemes: receptiveness to advertisements perceived to be
informative and entertaining, receptiveness to advertisements perceived to be permitted, and receptiveness to advertise-
ments perceived to be personalised to suit their mood, time, and context (location and activities):

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 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx 7

5.1. Theme 1: Negative feelings

All the participants reported that they experience negative feelings following unsolicited phone call-based mobile adver-
tisements with subthemes such as:

5.1.1. Subtheme 1a: Annoyance and irritation

Participants explained that they feel annoyed and irritated when they get unsolicited phone call-based mobile
advertisements:
Number one I was thinking maybe for instance I am in my office maybe I am working and my phone is in my drawer and I heard
the phone ringing, the stress it took me to bring out my drawer, bring the phone and to my greatest surprise it’s just an advert is
annoying.
[Participant 1]

I really feel annoyed because when the phone ring, I will just let us say that I’m far then I will go and run to pick the phone. After
picking the phone, then we would now see that it is an advert.
[Participant 3]
I feel irritated. That is why I don’t like picking the call; it gets me irritated when they call.
[Participant 4]

5.1.2. Subtheme 1b: Disturbance

Most participants feel that they are being disturbed by unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements:
I just don’t want to be disturbed because I see it as a form of disturbance. I ignore such calls.
[Participant 5]

If you want something, you should have an avenue to get it not for someone to be disturbing your phone anyhow with all that
advertising things.
[Participant 12]

5.1.3. Subtheme 1c: Lack of interest due to deduction of money from airtime after receiving such calls
Most participants stated that they are not interested in receiving unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements
because previous attempts at doing so led to deduction of money from their airtime:
I don’t like answering the call because they don’t say something reasonable; I’m not interested in . . . what they are saying. I feel
bad because sometimes they cut my money and they don’t allow me to enjoy the full credit that I put in . . .
[Participant 4]

I am not interested because sometimes I’ve picked such calls and it made me to lose so many things on my phone like you know,
they just keep removing my money anyhow. I’m not even interested anymore because of the past experience I had with them.
[Participant 5]
I don’t want [to] hear that advert. I don’t want to continue with that thing they are saying press, press for you to get this one, for
you to get the other one [because] . . . after receiving that advert, they now start cutting your money. If I put like ₦100 credit or
₦200, after receiving all those things, they will start cutting it 50, ₦50, before I know it the credit will finish. Er that’s why if I
notice that it is advert, I just cut it because after receiving it, they just start cutting your money.
[Participant 9]

5.1.4. Subtheme 1d: Suspicion of fraudulent activities

Some participants suspect that unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements are the handiwork of fraudsters:
Um apart from that this thing might be a kind of er 419 because society that is actually trying to deal with me. . .
[Participant 6]

5.1.5. Subtheme 1e: Disappointment

Participants usually felt disappointed when they pick their calls only to realise that it is an unsolicited phone call-based
mobile advertisement which was contrary to their expectation:
I really feel bad and disappointed because I will think that it’s a real call from someone. Immediately I receive it, it is advert so I
feel; I feel bad and [SIGHS] I don’t know what to do.
[Participant 8]

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8 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

I feel bad off course because when you are expecting something when another thing comes and that is not what you are expect-
ing, normally you wouldn’t feel okay about it.
[Participant 10]

5.2. Theme 2: Receptiveness

Participants are sometimes receptive to unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements depending on whether they
are informative and entertaining, permitted, and personalised to suit their mood, time, and context (location and activities)
when the advertisement is delivered to their mobile phone. Receptiveness theme has the following subthemes:

5.2.1. Subtheme 2a: Receptiveness to advertisements perceived to be informative and entertaining

On few instances, participants stated that they may be receptive to unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements if
they feel that such advertisements are informative and entertaining to them:
Some of them are good. . . Because some of them when they call you, they will give you hints. . . there are so many businesses
they open to you. So anyone you like to join, you join and then you can now enjoy whatever you are expected to enjoy. So you
feel happy.
[Participant 2]
Sometimes if they have a good message I listen to it to the end. Well messages like maybe health message, any message related
to health. Maybe since I’m in the health sector, I will like listening to them and I will listen to it to the end. Sometimes football, if
they are talking about my club, I listen to it to the end. Well, like if it is health message or football message related to my club. If I
hear my club is doing well I feel fine. And the health message also I feel fine.
[Participant 4]

5.2.2. Subtheme 2b: Receptiveness to advertisements perceived to be permitted

Some participants also expressed their willingness to accept mobile advertisements if they are the ones who permitted
them:
And you are not the one that um invite them to um call you. Do you understand what I mean? If I’m the one that invite them, I
will not feel bad because I know that after doing it, they may cut some money. Do you understand? But I am not the one that
invited them.
[Participant 9]

5.2.3. Subtheme 2c: Receptiveness to advertisements perceived to be personalised

Consumers may be receptive to phone call-based mobile advertisements that they perceived are personalised to suit their
mood, time, and context (location and activities):
Unless probably I am in a very lighter mood anyway, I can just decide to allow it to play on.
[Participant 10]
Depends on my mood; if I’m not in the right mood to listen to such advert, I will end the call. If I’m in the right mood, I can pay
attention. That’s what I’m saying that it depends on my mood or if I have time.
[Participant 11]
Well, I feel it depends on the mood that I’m in. Two: the place that I’m in, three: what I’m doing at the moment. If it kind of
interferes er it would determine how I would feel at that particular moment.
[Participant 12]

5.3. Efforts made by consumers at addressing the issue of unsolicited mobile advertising

In respect to the research question on whether participants have made any efforts to address the issue of unsolicited
phone call-based mobile advertising, two themes, that is, yet to make any attempt to address the issue and unsuccessful pre-
vious attempts leading to lack of subsequent attempt, were discovered:

5.4. Theme 1: Yet to make any attempt to address the issue

Some of the participants stated that they have not made any attempt so far to address the issue of unsolicited phone call-
based mobile advertising because they are ignorant of what to do:
I have not . . . because the calls do not interest me. I have not done anything. I don’t know what to do.
[Participant 4]

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
(2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx 9

Actually I have not done anything concerning that. I also promise that I will go to . . .1 office and complain based on the distur-
bance. But due to the time factor, I couldn’t make it.
[Participant 6]
I’m not aware at all. Had it been I’m aware, I would have done it long time ago and stop receiving those kind of calls. I have not
taken any step; I don’t bother to do that.
[Participant 8]

5.5. Theme 2: Unsuccessful previous attempts leading to lack of subsequent attempt

Participants who are resentful about phone call-based mobile advertising and have attempted previously to tackle the
issue stated that they decided to stop since their efforts were not successful:
. . . some steps that I have taken didn’t yield a fruit in the sense that when you try to call this network provider, it is still the same
advert that they will play for you. Sometimes they might play it twenty minutes, ten minutes and you can’t spend the whole of
your day in trying to lay a complain. So when I have tried in [a] series of occasion, I could not, so I just let it be.
[Participant 1]

. . . since I have . . . [tried] to er proffer solution to it and it hasn’t worked, then I humbly left it.
[Participant 7]
1
. . . I went to . . . office and complain, complain to those people. They collect my number, put it in their computer and delete, I
don’t know what they delete. They just delete those er those numbers that normally call . . .. They said that I should switch [off]
the phone that if I see it [phone call-based mobile advert, just switch [off] the phone, let me say for one minute or two min-
utes. . .. but that did not stop the calling [LAUGHED]. That call is still coming, is still coming. I don’t know [LAUGHED]. This
one is not working . . .
[Participant 9]

6. Discussion

Results obtained from the semi-structured interviews concerning consumers’ experiences of unsolicited phone call-based
mobile advertising in the present study revealed that consumers experience negative feelings when they get such advertise-
ments. These negative feelings centre on annoyance and irritation, disturbance, lack of interest due to loss of money after
receiving such calls, suspicion of fraudulent activities, and disappointment. Put together, these suggest that unsolicited
phone call-based mobile advertising may impact upon consumers adversely. In other words, consumers have a negative
impression about such advertisements. And as such, they have aversion to them because of the unpleasant experiences asso-
ciated with them. Simply put, they seem disgusted by such advertisements.
This finding is in line with that of Tsang et al. (2004) who found that in general, consumers have negative attitudes toward
mobile advertising. For instance, feeling annoyed and irritated due to these advertisements suggest that the advertisements
may constitute a nuisance to them, and hence they are to be avoided. Consistent with this view, studies (e.g., Gao and Zang,
2016; Liu et al., 2012) have demonstrated that when consumers perceive a mobile advertisement to be irritating, they hold
a negative attitude towards such advertisement. Moreover, by constituting a disturbance, such advertisements are seen by con-
sumers as intrusive. As some of them stated, when they are busy with something important, the calls interrupt them, suggest-
ing again that they are uncalled for. As the interviews revealed, consumers have lost interest on such advertisements because
receiving such calls result in deduction of some amount of money from their airtime. Since consumers do not want to continue
with such experience, it is understandable that they are no longer interested in such advertisements. Also, consumers are wary
of the activities of the advertisers and even liken them to that of fraudsters. This may be explained based on the juicy promises
that sometimes accompany such advertisements, which, at the end may leave sad experiences in their wake. In addition, con-
sumers feel disappointed by such advertisements because it was contrary to what they were expecting. The unpredictability of
the identity of the caller especially when a SIM that has eleven digits (i.e. the number of digits commonly used by consumers in
Nigeria) is used, may contribute to consumers’ disappointment, thereby making consumers to quickly cut such calls.
Unpredictable events can be stressful (Martins et al., 2015). Thus, the expectation that the call is coming from someone who
the consumer knows is suddenly dashed when it turns out that it is just an advertisement, leaving them frustrated perhaps.
The interviews also revealed that sometimes consumers may be receptive to unsolicited phone call-based mobile adver-
tisements especially if the advertisements are considered to be informative and entertaining to them. This suggests that
unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements that contain relevant information to the consumer involved are likely
to be welcomed. Such information may even turn out to be useful to the consumer such that they may decide to pay atten-
tion to such advertisements even subsequently. This finding can be explained by the U & G theory (Liu et al., 2012; Okazaki,
2004) which states that if recipients perceive that the content of an advertisement is useful to them, they are likely to hold a
positive attitude towards the it. This finding is in line with that of Hsiao and Chang (2014) who found that if consumers per-
ceive mobile advertisement to be valuable and useful to them, they will likely have continuance intention towards the adver-

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
(2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
10 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

tisement. In this regard, one of the participants was specifically interested in health-related advertisements because they are
perceived to be useful. The interviews also indicate that unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements that are con-
sidered as entertaining are likely to be accepted by some consumers. Such advertisements may come in the form of ring-
tones, sporting activities involving fixtures and live scores, and the like. Put together, these findings are consistent with
those of Liu et al. (2012) who found that infotainment and credibility were related to advertising value, and Gao and
Zang (2016) who also found that the entertainment and credibility of mobile advertising were positively related to con-
sumers’ attitudes toward mobile advertising. These suggest that the content of mobile advertisements as perceived by con-
sumers contribute to their reactions to such advertisements.
The interviews also indicate that consumers perceive that if they permit phone call-based mobile advertising they are
likely to accept such advertisements as compared to if they were not permitted by them. This finding is in harmony with
the conceptual model of permission and acceptance (Barnes and Scornavacca, 2004) which identified user permission as
the most critical factor in the acceptance of mobile advertising. Previous studies have also demonstrated that permitted
advertisements generate favourable attitudes from consumers than unsolicited ones (e.g. Carroll et al., 2007; Ünal et al.,
2011). Permitting such advertisement therefore makes them to be prepared for its outcome. As some of the participants
in the present study stated that if they were the ones who permitted the advertisements, they would not feel bad knowing
that money may be eventually deducted from their airtime. Therefore, a phone call-based mobile advertisement that is per-
mitted can elicit positive feelings from consumers after all.
The last subtheme for receptiveness shows that consumers may be receptive to unsolicited phone call-based mobile
advertising if such advertisements are personalised to be in tandem with their mood, time, location and the activities that
they were engaged in when the advertisement was delivered to their mobile phone. This suggests that the mood, time, loca-
tion and what the consumer was doing when their phone rings for advertisements, affects their reception of such advertise-
ments. This finding is consistent with past research that revealed that personalised mobile advertisements foster positive
attitudes toward such advertisements (Gao and Zang, 2016; Ünal et al., 2011). Previous studies have also indicated that
in order to enhance consumer acceptance of mobile advertising, time, location, interests, and activities of the user should
be considered (Leppäniemi and Karjaluoto, 2005; Park et al., 2008). In that sense, it is likely that if an individual is not in
a receptive mood, receiving phone calls pertaining to advertisements may be the last thing on their mind. Furthermore,
the time in which a consumer gets such calls is also important. At certain time of the day or night, it may be uncomfortable
for consumers to receive and listen to such phone calls. Moreover, if a consumer is in a place that appears not to be conducive
to such phone calls, probably a bank or church, the person may be unwilling to receive the call. As one of the participants
stated that while in a bank, she got a phone call about advertisement which she saw as a disturbance. Lastly when a con-
sumer is busy with something important, probably writing an exam, such a person may not be able to receive a phone call
pertaining to advertisements vis-à-vis when he or she is not.
The interviews also revealed that some consumers who even though they hold a negative attitude towards unsolicited
phone call-based mobile advertisements, have not taken any step to address the issue because they are not aware of what
to do. That is, even when they are willing to take action concerning this issue they are unaware of how to go about it.
From the interviews, it was also gathered that consumers who feel aggrieved by unsolicited phone call-based mobile
advertisements and have initially attempted to address the issue, are no longer willing to do so. Their decision could be
explained based on the learned helplessness hypothesis (Maier and Seligman, 1976). That is, consumers who have tried
to ensure that they do not get such calls again, yet the calls persist, may believe that their effort is not yielding the desired
results, and hence no need to put in more effort.

7. Implications of findings

One of the implications of the findings in the present study is that since consumers generally feel disgusted about mobile
advertising, they may become so dissatisfied with the services of any telecoms network operators in Nigeria that usually
send unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertisements to them. This may get to a point where consumers may be on
the lookout for a better alternative telecoms network operator that is devoid of unsolicited phone call-based mobile adver-
tisements which in the long run, may lead to loss of customers. Therefore, telecoms network operators in Nigeria should con-
sider consumers’ interests and preferences when designing mobile advertisements. The introduction of global position
system (GPS) location services, bandwidth availability, and smartphones makes it possible for advertisers to be able to deli-
ver personalised advertisements to consumers at the right time and location (Chen and Hsieh, 2012). Hence, telecoms net-
work operators can design a medium where they can obtain regular updates of each consumer’s profile, including their
needs, and preferences to enable the advertisements to be more precise and apt for the targeted consumer.
There should also be stakeholders’ forum where consumers, telecoms network operators, and regulatory agencies such as
the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC; the body saddled with the responsibility of regulating lottery operations
in Nigeria), Consumer Protection Council (CPC; the body saddled with the responsibility of protecting consumer rights in
Nigeria), and the NCC (the body saddled with the responsibility of regulating telecoms operations in Nigeria) come together
to express their challenges, views, and discuss the way forward regarding mobile advertising.
Moreover, since not all consumers are aware of how to address the issue of unsolicited mobile advertising, it is important
for telecoms network operators to constantly sensitise consumers beyond merely sending them onscreen messages contain-

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
(2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx 11

ing codes on how they can opt out from such advertising that they may not have even subscribed for in the first place. In that
case, consumers should be allowed to make their own choice from the onset, instead of opting them in and later sending
codes to them with which they can opt out. As part of the sensitisation, such advertisements should also be conducted
on radio, television, newspapers, and their websites to allow consumers to decide on whether they are willing to opt in
or not.
Although some consumers have tried various means to address the issue of unsolicited mobile advertising such as calling
the customer care of telecoms network operators, going to their offices to complain, and sending codes for opting out, among
others; however, there are reservations on the effectiveness of such approaches, judging by consumers’ report herein. There-
upon, CPC and NCC must ensure that measures that are put in place by these telecoms network operators are effective and
they should sanction erring ones whose measures are not effective in addressing consumers concerns.
The, CPC, NLRC, and NCC should also collaborate in order to ensure that (1) consumers receive only mobile advertise-
ments that they (i.e. consumers) authorise, (2) there is regular sensitisation of consumers on their rights and appropriate
ways to seek redress if their rights are violated by telecoms network operators, (3) the content of mobile advertising pertain-
ing to lottery/gambling should not be allowed to be hijacked by fraudsters to prevent extortion. This is because research has
shown that the value attached to an advertisement is determined by the credibility of its source (e.g. Liu et al., 2012). And if
an advertisement is perceived as valuable by consumers, they are likely to accept it (Wu, 2016).
On their part, consumers should demonstrate the willingness to take proactive steps in addressing the issue of unsolicited
mobile advertising rather than choosing to remain passive and whining. Even though some of their efforts in the past may
not have been fruitful, giving up completely on trying is not the solution either. It’s high time they start considering other
options such as reaching out to NLRC, CPC, and NCC, and in extreme case, collaborate with other consumers to take a decisive
action such as openly criticising defaulting telecoms network operators to press home their complaints. They can also use
their phones to block any phone number that conveys unsolicited mobile advertisements to them that they are not inter-
ested in.

8. Strengths, limitations of study, and directions for future research

This study makes important contributions to the mobile advertising literature. First, this study reinforces previous SMS-
based mobile advertising and quantitative studies involving students as participants (e.g. Gao and Zang, 2016) by demon-
strating qualitatively among consumers with varied occupations that, even though consumers may be resentful about unso-
licited phone call-based mobile advertising, they may be receptive to some of them depending on whether they are
informative and entertaining, permitted, and personalised to suit their mood, time, and context (location and activities). Sec-
ond, this study appears to be the first to empirically demonstrate that some consumers are reluctant to attempting to
address the issue of unsolicited mobile advertising whereas others are unwilling to expend further efforts at addressing
the issue since their initial attempts were unfruitful. Third, by using diverse participants (consumers), the generalisation
of the findings cut across student and non-student population.
While this study provides insight into the experiences of consumers as recipients of unsolicited phone call-based mobile
advertisements, its limitations should be considered when interpreting the results. For instance, the study used a non-
probability convenience sampling which may limit the extent to which the findings can be generalised to the general pop-
ulation of telecoms consumers in Nigeria; a probability sample will be more alienable to characteristics of the general pop-
ulation of telecoms consumers in Nigeria. What is more, though the sample size in the present study is in line with
recommendations (e.g. Guest et al., 2006), future research should employ a larger number of sample size to boost general-
isation. Finally, since mobile advertising is still in incunabula in Nigeria and consumers’ experiences regarding such adver-
tising may still be evolving, a phenomenological design used in the present study may not be able to capture all these
experiences and evolution. An experience sampling study would better capture these experiences and evolution in situ with-
out much contamination in future research. Future research can also compare consumers’ attitudes toward SMS and voice-
based mobile advertising.

9. Conclusion

The present study shows that in general consumers are resentful about mobile advertising. Having heard from consumers,
the present study opens new ground for subsequent research to focus on telecoms network operators and regulatory agen-
cies mentioned earlier in order to incorporate their own perspectives of mobile advertising, thereby having a balanced view
of this phenomenon, and as such, be able to address the concerns of all parties involved.

Appendix A

Interview guide

I am a researcher conducting a research on consumers’ experiences of unsolicited phone call-based mobile advertising. It
involves interviewing you as a telecoms consumer, and the interview would be audio-recorded and transcribed. It will

Please cite this article in press as: Enwereuzor, I.K. Capturing consumers’ experiences of unsolicited mobile advertising. Telemat. Informat.
(2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.004
12 I.K. Enwereuzor / Telematics and Informatics xxx (2017) xxx–xxx

require few minutes of your time. You are free to decide a venue for the interview. This interview is not about right or wrong
answer but purely on your sincere experiences. You will not be giving any reward for participation. If you agree to partic-
ipate, I will play an audio-recorded phone call-based mobile advert to you, after listening to it, I will then ask you some ques-
tions regarding your previous experiences concerning such advertisements.

Spotlight Questions Probes

Feelings of consumers when they
receive unsolicited phone call-
based mobile advertisements
Efforts made thus far in
addressing the issue of
unsolicited phone call-based
mobile advertisements
How do you feel when you receive a
phone call that has to do with
advertisement such as the one I just
played to you?
What efforts have you made thus far in
addressing the issue of unsolicited
phone call-based mobile advertisements
that are put across to you through your
mobile phone?
Apart from that, what other feelings can
you say resulted from such
advertisements? Is that all? Tell me
more. Can you explain more? Are your
feelings the same for all phone call-
based mobile advertisements? Why do
you think this is so?
Is that all? Apart from that, what other
efforts have you made? Tell me more.
Why haven’t you made any efforts? Why
didn’t you make further efforts? Why do
you think this is so?

Demographics Questions
What is you gender?
How old are you?
Are you married, single, widowed, divorced or separated?
What is the highest educational qualification you have attained?
What is your occupation?
1
The participant mentioned the name of a particular telecoms network operator but was withheld in the present study to
protect privacy.

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