Indian Automobile Industry

and Effective Advertising:

A Qualitative Analysis
Prateek Maheshwari*, Anoop Kumar Gupta** and Nitin Seth***

The automobile industry in India is highly competitive and technology-driven. In such

an aggressive business scenario, ensuring the success of an advertisement campaign is
critical for a company’s success as huge advertisement budgets are involved. The purpose
of the study is to recognize specific drivers of effective advertising for the Indian automobile
sector in the context of print media using a qualitative research approach. A structured
Delphi technique was implemented to identify specific drivers of effective advertising for
the automobile sector. 32 drivers of effective advertising are narrowed down and refined
through a structured Delphi to finalize specific 13 drivers of effective advertising for the
Indian automobile sector in the print media context. Recognition of 13 specific drivers
of effective advertising will help advertisers and marketing managers to be focused while
designing advertisement campaign in the Indian print setting. It will also ensure
formulation of effective media and message strategies which will lead to long-term business
growth for the Indian automobile manufactures. The study demonstrates how a
qualitative research tool, viz., Delphi technique can be successfully used to investigate
the dynamic field of advertisement effectiveness.

Introduction
The automobile business in India is characterized by extreme competition, dynamism
and business intricacies. With more than 35 players fiercely competing in the industry
locally, it has come a long way since its inception in 1982 1. The technological
advancements, global competition and easy access to market information to customers
have made the scenario more aggressive (Bovet and Sheffi, 1998). Customers’ demands
are rising continuously which has forced automobile companies to change significantly
to deliver the finest model to them. In such an aggressive business scenario prevailing in
the Indian automobile sector, advertising represents an important means of ensuring
not only a company’s success and profitability but also its long-term business growth.
* Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Management in Research (IBMR) – IPS Academy, Indore,
Madhya Pradesh, India. E-mail: prateekm@hotmail.com
** Director – Institute of Applied Sciences and Humanities (IASH), Ganeshi Lal Agrawal University
(GLA), Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. E-mail: anoop@gla.ac.in
*** Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, India. E-mail: nitinseth@iift.edu
1
“Automobiles”, India Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Brand Equity Foundation, Ministry of
Commerce and Industry, Government of India, 2015.

22
© 2017 IUP. All Rights Reserved. The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017
 Advertising symbolizes an important way through which organizations communicate
with their existing and potential customers worldwide (Bendixen, 1993) and automobile
industry in India is no exception. Advertising is a major element of a company’s
promotional mix in the Indian automobile sector. In 2015, the industry grew by 17.6%
and 2016 assures to be yet another high growth year. It is expected that Indian
advertisement market will grow by 16.8% in the year 2016-17 and Automobile, Telecom
and E-Commerce companies will contribute majorly to overall advertising spending
(Pitch – Madison Advertising Report, 2016).

It is apparent that advertising drives the automobile business in India and has played
a considerable role in its rapid growth in the recent years. As a result, ensuring effective
advertising is of utmost importance so that the organizations can plan their advertising
strategies and allocate their advertising budgets wisely. In this light, the present research
is an attempt to recognize the specific drivers of effective advertising for automobiles in
the context of Indian print media using Delphi technique. Recognition of specific drivers
of effective advertising for the automobile sector will help out advertisers to be more
focused while designing an advertisement copy for an automobile brand which will
create greater impact on buying behavior. The scope of this paper is limited to print
media only as it is expected to grow strongly in India for another decade and a half due
to mounting literacy (Jeffrey, 2012) and is an uncomplicated means of individual
empowerment (Raghunath, 2012) in the Indian society.

Literature Review
The literature for the present study is categorized into two broad group, viz., Automobile
Sector in India: An Overview and Effective Advertising and Its Assessment, as depicted
in Figure 1. The subsequent section provides details of each of the literature category in
the context of present research work.

The Indian automobile industry has travelled a long distance since its commencement.
From being a closed seller’s market with only five players in 1982, it is now a buyer’s
market with more than 35 local and global players competing aggressively to ensure their

Figure 1: Literature Categorization for the Present Study

Literature Categorization

Automobile Sector in India: Ensuring Effective Advertising

An Overview

Concepts and Drivers of Effective

Frameworks Advertising

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 23

presence2. The seventh largest manufacturer in the world with an average annual production
of 17.5 million vehicles, the automobile sector contributes significantly to the country’s
GDP3. With a market size of USD67.7 bn in FY’ 13, automobile industry in India was
expected to reach a market size of USD145 bn in FY’ 164. According to a report by India
Brand Equity Foundation, rising income, huge innovation opportunities, increasing
investments, a large pool of trained human resource and policy support by Government
of India are the factors contributing to the rapid growth of the automobile business in
India5.

The automobile market in India is broadly split into four consumer segments, viz.,
two-wheelers (mopeds, scooters, motorcycles and electric two-wheelers), passenger vehicles
(passenger cars, utility vehicles and multipurpose vehicles), commercial vehicles (light,
medium and heavy commercial vehicles) and three-wheelers (passenger carriers and
goods carriers) as illustrated in Figure 2. According to a report by Society of Indian
Automobile Manufacturer, passenger vehicles are expected to grow at a CAGR of 18%
during FY: 2014-21. In addition, commercial vehicles are expected to register a CAGR
of 19% while two and three wheelers are projected to expand at a CAGR of 8% during
the same period6.

Figure 2: Literature Categorization for the Present Study

Automobile Market in India

Two-Wheelers Passenger Vehicles Commercial Vehicles Three-Wheelers

Source: “Automobiles”, India Brand Equity Foundation, Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
Government of India (2015)

Automobile firms are spending a major portion of their annual profits on advertising
to make the customers more brand conscious and to create a unique positioning in their
minds to gain differentiated advantage7. Advertising drives the Indian automobile business
and automobile industry in India spends huge on promotional activities with the aim
of creating brand awareness and persuading potential customers 8. The continuously
2
Automobiles, 2015, Op. cit.
3
“Automobile Sector Survey”, Make in India, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, 2015.
4
“Automotive Mission Plan 2006-2016: A Mission for Development of Indian Automotive Industry”,
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India, 2006.
5
Automobiles, 2015, Op. cit.
6
“Vision 2020”, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturer, India, 2013.
7
Automobiles, 2015, Op. cit.
8
“Automotive: Market and Opportunities”, India Brand Equity Foundation, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Government of India, 2011.

24 The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

upgrading technology has provided modern day marketers with a range of latest media
options, viz., internet, mobile phone, films and video games, and advertisers in the
automobile sector are using these media options effectively to reach out to prospective
customers.

Advertisement Effectiveness and Its Assessment

Effective advertising refers to how well a company’s advertising accomplishes the intended
(Suttle, 2009). It is the extent to which advertising generates a certain desired effect
(Corvi and Bonera, 2010). Numerous researchers (Starch, 1964; Spotts et al., 1997;
Lees and Healey, 2005; Samu and Bhatnagar, 2008; and Poonia et al., 2015) have
explored the subject of effective advertising and its assessment through different
viewpoints. While early scholars (Starch, 1964; Gardner, 1975; and Spotts et al., 1997)
attempted to understand advertising and its effectiveness theoretically and developed
conceptual frameworks to realize how advertising actually works, the advancement in
technology shifted the focus of researchers (Hanssens and Weitz, 1980; Hofacker and
Murfy, 1998; Gabriel, 2006; Devlin and Combs, 2012; Ching et al., 2013; and Das
and Sharma, 2016) to investigate the research domain by identifying drivers of effective
advertising in varied media contexts.

Concepts and Frameworks

Numerous researchers (Sheth, 1974; Gardner, 1975; and Seno and Lukas, 2007) have
focused on theoretical considerations while exploring advertising effectiveness which
led to the development of conceptual frameworks. Some practical sets of propositions
that relate to long-term consumer behavior and profound practical implications for the
management of the advertising function are the major outcome of these studies. Table 1
presents a summary of select research studies that attempted to understand advertisement
effectiveness concepts and theoretical frameworks.

Drivers of Effective Advertising

The advent of technology led to the emergence of several latest media, viz., print, TV,
internet, films and video games which shifted the focus of researchers to look at the field
from the perspective of varied drivers used to assess effective advertising in a variety of
media. A majority of these studies stressed on assessing the impact of design and execution
elements of advertising on a variety of dimensions which are recognized as drivers of
effective advertising. Table 2 summarizes select research studies in various media categories
with a focus on recognized drivers of effective advertising.

Identified Research Gaps

The literature review clearly highlighted that the focus of early researches was on
understanding advertising effectiveness through conceptual models and frameworks.
The emergence of modern media redirected the orientation of the researchers to identify
various drivers of effective advertising in a variety of advertising media. A majority of
the researches (Robert and Wallace, 1974; Loken and Pitney, 1988; Nelson et al., 2004;

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 25

 Table 1: Select Research Studies on Effective Advertising:
Concepts and Frameworks
S.
Author (Year) Objective of the Study
No.
1 Starch (1964) Study aimed to develop a
conceptual model which
may determine probable
effectiveness of
advertisements before they
are launched and before any
money is expended upon
them.
2. Sheth (1974) Research paper attempted
to examine advertising
effectiveness conceptually in
the print media context
through three different
perspectives.
3. Gardner The research work
(1975) attempted to develop a
conceptual framework to
understand and categorize
deception in advertising.
4. Bendixen The objective of the study
(1993) was to develop a model on
measuring advertising
effectiveness and to
demonstrate its usefulness
in practice.
5. Spotts et al. Study attempted to examine
(1997) effectiveness of humor
element in advertising by
using a conceptual
framework adapted from
speck.
6. Seno and Study attempted to develop
Lukas (2007) a conceptual framework that
can be used to organize and
guide future research into
how celebrity product
endorsement creates equity
for both the endorsed
product-brand and the
endorsing celebrity.
26 The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017
Major Contribution of the
Study
The study helped to identify
relative rankings of various
advertisements with simple tests
and correlated with firm’s returns
to judge the advertisement
effectiveness.
Study explored the underlying
processes of advertising influence
and tactics and discussed a
mechanism called reminder
precipitation in the context of
advertising effectiveness which led
to the development of a theoretical
framework.
Several approaches that might aid
in the measurement of deceptive
advertising are suggested which
led to a conceptual framework to
assess advertising effectiveness.
Study found that products and
services with high consumer
involvement in the purchase
decision will be characterized by
current advertising effects while
those with low consumer
involvement will be characterized
by brand loyalty effects.
Results of the study indicated that
current practice for many
advertisers is to employ
incongruity-based humor in a
humor-dominant context and may
not be the most effective in terms
of advertisement performance.
Study presented a conceptual
model in context of celebrity
endorsement and also found that
both the endorser image and the
brand image serve as mediators in
the equity creation process of
celebrity endorsement.
 Table 1 (Cont.)
S. Major Contribution of the
Author (Year) Objective of the Study
No. Study

7. Gkiozepas and Study aimed to develop and
Hogg (2011) test a conceptual framework
for categorizing visual
metaphors in advertising
according to whether the
pictorial elements in the
advertisement are
synthesized or juxtaposed.
Study demonstrated through the
developed conceptual framework
that advertisement visuals which
synthesize similar metaphorical
objects provoke greater elaboration
and elicit more favorable
consumer’s attitude towards both
the advertisement and the brand
also.

and Popova and Tanglertpanya, 2011) are carried out in USA, UK and other developed
countries and the subject has not drawn much attention of the researchers in the Indian
scenario especially in the context of print media. Researchers have perceived and
understood the area of effective advertising in different ways which make it more complex
and ambiguous.

Researchers have recognized varied drivers of effective advertising in the context of

different media which are intermingled and overlapping. No common drivers are available
in the context of any specific media. Further, it is evident that drivers of effective
advertising for a particular media differ with product/service category in consideration.
Researchers have studied the research domain of assessing advertising effectiveness from
the perspective of various product/service categories. Table 3 provides a comprehensive
list of dimensions which are recognized as drivers of effective advertising in different
media contexts along with their literature support.

It is apparent from the literature that different researchers have arrived at mixed
independent conclusions while exploring the research domain of effective advertising. It
has made the subject highly uncertain and confusing. Further, appreciation of product/
service specific drivers of effective advertising in the context of a particular media is still
not observed especially automobiles.

Data and Methodology

In order to establish impartiality in the process, researchers have relied on a standard
and well-structured Delphi technique (Linstone and Turoff, 1975; and Landeta, 1999).
Figure 3 illustrates the detailed Delphi methodology adopted for the present paper to
identify drivers of effective advertising for the Indian automobile sector.
A review of literature resulted in the recognition of 32 preliminary drivers of
advertisement effectiveness for different media categories which varied with product/
service category into consideration. As no generic dimensions are available for automobile
sector in the print context, Delphi technique was implemented that led to the finalization
of 13 specific drivers for the Indian automobile sector. The subsequent sections present
a detailed discussion on each step of the adopted research methodology.

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 27

28
Table 2: Select Research Studies on Drivers of Effective Advertising in Varied Media Context
Media Author (Year) Audience Product Category Recognized Drivers of Effective Advertising
Christian (1965) USA –
Hanssens and Weitz (1980) USA Apparels Recall, Recognition, Action Score, Readership,
No. of Inquiries, Credibility, Persuasive, Consumer
Loken and Pitney (1988) UK Apparels Preference, Demand, Attitude Measurement,
Print
Informative, Believable, Relevance, Liking, etc.
Patterson and Richards (2000) USA Agricultural Products
Samu and Bhatnagar (2008) India Apparels
Keshari et al. (2012) India Tourism
Robert and Wallace (1974) USA –
Hudson et al. (2002) USA Automobiles Repetition, Comprehension, Attention, Retention,
TV Memorable, Recall, Behavioral Influence, Correct
Newstead and Romaniuk, (2009) USA Apparels Brand Identification, Interest, Rationality,
Excitability, Trustworthiness, Recognition, etc.
Ranjbarian et al. (2011) Iran –
Wang et al. (2013) China Cigarette
Hofacker and Murphy (1998) USA Apparels
Lees and Healey (2005) UK Cigarette Impression, Click Through Rates, Attractive,
Internet
Popova and Tanglertpanya, 2011 USA Automobiles Recognition, Attitude Measurement, Perception,
Involvement, Recall, Interactivity, etc.
Santana and Palacio (2012) Portugal –
Ching et al. (2013) China Apparels
Law and Braun (2000) USA Tourism

Movies and Nelson et al. (2004) Australia Apparels Attitude Measurement, Purchase Intention,
Video Games Homer (2009) USA – Believable, Recall, Recognition, Repetition,
Purchase Intention, Perception, Excitability, etc.
Devlin and Combs (2012) USA –
Lee et al. (2011) UK Cigarettes
Yoo and Pena (2011) China Automobiles

The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

 Table 3: Drivers of Effective Advertising Recognized Through Literature Review

Dim. No. Dimension Author (Year) Dim. No. Dimension Author (Year)

D1 Action Score Christian (1965) D17 Memorable Hudson et al. (2002); and
Homer (2009)

D2 Attention Hudson et al. (2002); and D18 No. of Inquiries Hanssens and Weitz (1980)
Wang et al. (2013)

D3 Attitude Hofacker and Murphy (1998); D19 Perception Hofacker and Murphy (1998);
Measurement and Samu and Bhatnagar (2008) and Yoo and Pena (2011)

D4 Behavioral Influence Newstead and Romaniuk, 2009; D20 Persuasion Loken and Pitney (1988); and
and Ranjbarian et al. (2011) Ranjbarian et al. (2011)

D5 Believable Homer (2009); and D21 Precipitation Sheth (1974)

Keshari et al. (2012)

D6 Comprehension Robert and Wallace (1974) D22 Purchase Intention Nelson et al. (2004); and

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis

Samu and Bhatnagar (2008)

D7 Consumer Preference Patterson and Richards (2000); D23 Rationality Patterson and Richards (2000);
and Samu and Bhatnagar (2008) and Hudson et al. (2002)

D8 Conviction Starch (1964) D24 Readership Starch (1964) and Christian (1965)

29
30
Table 3 (Cont.)

Dim. No. Dimension Author (Year) Dim. No. Dimension Author (Year)

D9 Correct Brand Hudson et al. (2002); and D25 Recall Law and Braun (2000); and
Identification Wang et al. (2013) Keshari et al. (2012)

D10 Credibility Hanssens and Weitz (1980); D26 Recognition Devlin and Combs (2012);
and Keshari et al. (2012) and Wang et al. (2013)

D11 Demand Patterson and Richards (2000) D27 Reinforcement Starch (1964) and Christian (1965)

D12 Excitability Law and Braun (2000); and D28 Relevance Loken and Pitney (1988);
Wang et al. (2013) and Newstead
and Romaniuk (2009)

D13 Impression Hofacker and Murphy (1998); D29 Reminder Hanssen and Weitz (1980);
and Santana and Palacio (2012) and Lees and Healey (2005)

D14 Informative Newstead and Romaniuk D30 Response Robert and

(2009); and Wallace (1974); Santana and Palacio (2012)
Keshari et al. (2012)

D15 Interest Robert and Wallace (1974); D31 Retention Nelson et al. (2004); and
and Lee et al. (2011) Popova and
Tanglertpanya(2011)

D16 Liking Loken and Pitney (1988); D32 Trustworthiness Keshari et al. (2012); and
and Ching et al. (2013) Wang et al. (2013)

The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

 Figure 3: Detailed Flowchart of Delphi Process Adopted for Present Study

Review of Literature

Identification of 32 Initial Drivers of Effective Advertising

Deciding on Delphi Panel

Delphi Round I

No
Add, Delete, Rename or
Experts’
Modify Drivers of Effective
Consensus
Advertising
Execution of Delphi Rounds

Delphi Round II

MS < 2.5

Experts’ Rejection of Drivers of

Consensus Effective Advertising

MS > 2.5

Delphi Round III

No
Experts’
Execution of Delphi Round IV
Consensus

Yes

Finalized 13 Drivers of Effective

Advertising for Automobile Sector

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 31

Analysis of Results
The comprehensive review of literature brought out varied drivers of effective advertising
for different media in consideration as discussed in detail. These dimensions (Table 3)
identified through literature are regarded as preliminary drivers of effective advertising
and used as input to Round I of Delphi.

Deciding on Delphi Panel

The decisive selection of experts for Delphi panel was done rather than using simple
random sampling as its credibility lies in its ability to draw on expertise (Miller, 2001).
There is no defined mechanism for deciding the number of panel members for a specific
study (Williams and Webb, 1994). The size of a Delphi panel may vary as per the
topics covered, the nature of different viewpoints included and the availability of time
and money (Zolingen and Klaassen, 2003).

Researchers (Linstone et al., 1975) have suggested the panel size ranging from 7 to
30 members. Reid (1988) was also of the opinion that experts numbering more than 30
do not necessarily demonstrate satisfactory knowledge or capability. Diverse groups
with widely varying personalities produce more acceptable results than homogeneous
groups and promise a wide base of knowledge (Delbecq et al., 1975; and Rowe and
Wright, 1996). The Delphi panel for the present study constituted 23 members.
Figure 4 depicts the profile of experts who formed the Delphi panel for the present
study. Attempts were made to take in a wide range of viewpoints in the study which
included, academicians, advertisement practitioners, industry experts, editors, marketing
professionals and customers as Delphi panelists.

Figure 4: Experts' Profile for Delphi Panels

Customers, 3
Academicians, 5

Marketing
Professionals, 3

Advertisement
Practitioners, 4
Editors, 3

Industry Experts, 5

32 The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

Delphi Round I
A survey instrument consisting of 32 drivers of effective advertising as identified through
literature was developed for the Delphi Round I. A questionnaire carrying the statement
of problem was sent to each of the panel members and his/her independent views on
drivers of effective advertising in the context of automobiles were sought. Experts’ opinions
for the study were collected during the period between May 16 and July16. The
modifications to certain initial drivers were made as per the comments and suggestions
by Delphi experts. The questionnaire for Delphi Round I had following the options for
the panelist:

• Add an advertisement effectiveness driver

• Delete an advertisement effectiveness driver

• Rename an advertisement effectiveness driver

• Modify an advertisement effectiveness driver

Results
Experts were of different opinions towards initial drivers of effective advertising obtained
from literature which resulted in varied responses from the experts. Out of 32 initial
drivers, 2 (i.e., precipitation and impression) were outrightly deleted by more than 70%
of the experts. Many valuable comments and suggestions were also given by the panel
members regarding other drivers of advertisement effectiveness as summarized below:

• A majority of the panel members were of the view that precipitation (D21)
and impression (D13) are nowhere related to print media and hence rejected
both of them out right.

• Drivers, viz., believable (D5), trustworthiness (D32), conviction (D8) and

credibility (D10) are similar in meaning and therefore should not be used
repeatedly. Thus, trustworthiness (D32), conviction (D8) and credibility (D10)
were eliminated from the list.

• Drivers readership (D24), no. of enquiries (D18), demand (D11) and action
score (D1) are eliminated by most of the experts as they are closely related
with each other.

• Most of the experts were of the opinion that driver memorable (D17) to assess
advertisement effectiveness is adequate. Hence, retention (D31), reminder
(D29) and correct brand identification (D9) were not considered for the next
Delphi round.

• Dimensions, viz., behavioral influence (D4), attitude measurement (D3) and

perception (D19) are closely associated and should not be used repetitively.
Thus, experts suggested merging them as one dimension only, i.e., perception
and attitude measurement.

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 33

Delphi Round II
The Round I of Delphi resulted in the reduction of initial drivers of effective advertising
from a total of 32 drivers to 18 drivers as several advertisement effectiveness drivers
were deleted as per the suggestions provided by Delphi panelist. All the experts willingly
participated in Delphi Round II in which a separate questionnaire consisting of definition
or interpretation of remaining 18 drivers of effective advertising was developed. Experts
were asked to rate the significance of the definition or interpretation of a particular
driver/dimension for automobiles on a 5-point Likert scale. Following scheme was pursued
to gather the responses from the experts: 5 = Extremely Significant, 4 = Very Significant,
3 = Significant, 2 = Slightly Significant, 1 = Not Significant at All.

Results
The Delphi Round II led to the refinement of drivers of effective advertising further for
the automobile sector considering the print media. Dimension, viz., ‘reinforcement
(MS = 2.39)’, ‘perception and attitude measurement (MS = 2.39)’, ‘comprehension
(MS = 2.36)’, ‘consumer preference (MS = 2.18)’ and ‘excitability (MS = 2.35)’ were
deleted from the list of advertisement effectiveness drivers for automobiles as they received
less than 2.5 Mean Score (MS) in the Delphi Round II as depicted in Table 4. It is
evident that out of 18 dimensions, only 13 were shortlisted by Delphi panelist as drivers
of effective advertising for the automobile industry in the context of print media.
To obtain convergence of judgment, the mean standard deviation for each of the
measures was also calculated. A decrease in the mean standard deviation value indicated
a greater convergence of opinion among the experts. Measures with higher mean score
and lower standard deviation were considered to be important as there was relative
agreement among experts on their importance. Measures with higher mean score and
higher standard deviation were also considered important measures but there was
relatively less agreement among experts on their importance (Shah and Tillman, 2011).
Delphi Round III
Depending on the panelist’s responses in Round II, different drivers of effective advertising
were refined for Delphi Iteration III. A questionnaire consisting of items related to each
of the drivers of effective advertising for automobiles was developed for Delphi Round
III. Experts were asked to rate the significance of a particular advertisement effectiveness
item on a 5-point Likert scale. The following scheme was pursued to gather the responses
from the experts: 5 = Extremely Significant, 4 = Very Significant, 3 = Significant,
2 = Slightly Significant, 1 = Not Significant at All. Any specific driver was finalized
when at least 80% of the experts agreed on its inclusion.

Results
The Delphi Round III represented the ‘consensus’ opinion of the Delphi panelist as
confirmed in Table 5. None of the driver or item received less than 2.5 MS, though
experts suggested minor changes in the wordings of some of the items. These changes
were incorporated to prepare the final list of advertisement effectiveness drivers for

34 The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

 Table 4: Mean and SD Scores of Definition of Drivers of Effective Advertising for Automobile Sector

S. No. Dimension Author (Year) Definition/Interpretation Mean SD

1. Persuasion Loken and Pitney (1988); and A persuasive advertisement encourages trial, urges 3.89 0.783
Ranjbarian et al. (2011) target audience to use the product and is convincing.

2. Attention Hudson et al. (2002); and An effective advertisement is appealing, catchy, 2.93 1.139
Wang et al. (2013) easily noticed and generates curiosity in the minds
of the target audience.

3. Interest Robert and Wallace (1974); An interesting advertisement is fascinating, alluring 3.45 0.861
and Lee et al. (2011) and holds the attention of its target audience.

4. Memorable Hudson et al. (2002); An effective advertisement is noteworthy, captivating 3.38 1.354
and Homer (2009) and easily remembered and recalled.

5. Response Robert and Wallace (1974); An effective advertisement is result-oriented and 3.57 1.163
and Santana and Palacio (2012) ensures target audience’s action and feedback.

6. Rationality Patterson and Richards (2000); Quality of an advertisement of being 3.32 0.837
and Hudson et al. (2002) rational and logical.

7. Comprehension Robert and Wallace (1974) An effective advertisement is easily understood 2.36 0.962

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis

and apprehended.

8. Informative Newstead and Romaniuk (2009); An informative advertisement is factual, detailed and 2.72 1.614
and Keshari et al. (2012) creates awarenes among its target audience about
products and services.

9. Liking Loken and Pitney (1988); and A successful advertisement is enjoyed, highly appreciated 3.57 0.917
Ching et al. (2013) and is strongly attached to its target audience.

35
36
Table 4 (Cont.)

S. No. Dimension Author (Year) Definition/Interpretation Mean SD

10. Purchase Nelson et al. (2004); and Efficient advertisements create customer desire, 4.24 0.632
Intention Samu and Bhatnagar (2008) aspire customers to purchase and incline its target
audience towards a product or service.

11. Recall Law and Braun (2000); An effective advertisement is impressive, 4.68 0.816
Keshari et al. (2012); and unforgettable and easy to remember and recollect.
Santana et al. (2016)

12. Recognition Devlin and Combs (2012); A successful advertisement is easily noticeable, 4.59 0.745
and Wang et al. (2013) accepted by its target audience and acknowledged
without difficulty.

13. Perception and Hofacker and Murphy (1998); An effective advertisement influences customer 2.39 2.016
Attitude Samu and Bhatnagar (2008); behavior, builds customer’s outlook and viewpoints
Measurement and Yoo and Pena (2011) towards a product or a service.

14. Consumer Patterson and Richards (2000); An effective advertisement compels target audience 2.18 2.107
Preference and Samu and Bhatnagar (2008) to prefer a product or service over other alternatives.

15. Relevance Loken and Pitney (1988); and An effective advertisement appropriates, relates itself 3.56 1.803
Newstead and Romaniuk (2009) and communicates clearly about a product or a service.

16. Reinforcement Starch (1964), Christian (1965) Action or process of strengthening an advertisement. 2.39 1.537

17. Believable Homer (2009); and Quality of an advertisement to be believed, 3.75 0.916
Keshari et al. (2012) credible and realistic.

18. Excitability Law and Braun (2000); Quality of an advertisement to thrill or to give 2.35 1.128
and Wang et al. (2013) rise to a reaction.

The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

 Table 5: Mean and SD Scores of Drivers of Effective Advertising and Related Items for Automobiles
Dimension Items Mean SD

An effective advertisement encourages trial of a product or service. 2.84 3.40 0.757

Persuasion For an advertisement to be effective, it should be convincing and tempting. 3.71 1.172
An effective advertisement urges target audience to use a product or service. 3.65 0.825
Effective advertisements are appealing and catchy. 2.78 2.95 1.513
Attention An effective advertisement is easily noticed. 3.42 1.129
An advertisement should generate curiosity in the minds of target audience. 2.65 0.747
An effective advertisement is one that attracts and appeals its customers. 3.87 3.74 1.623
Interest For an advertisement to be successful, it should be fascinating and alluring. 3.45 1.308
An effective advertisement holds the attention of its target audience. 3.89 0.769
A successful advertisement generates reaction and feedback from target audience. 3.37 3.08 0.724
Response For an advertisement to be effective, it should be result-oriented. 2.89 0.847
An advertisement that ensures customer’s action is effective. 2.97 0.917
For an advertisement to be productive, it should be revealing and factual. 2.45 2.50 1.263
Informative An effective advertisement is detailed and explanatory. 2.57 1.147
An advertisement should create awareness among its target audience regarding 2.48 1.426
products or services.

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis

A customer finds himself/herself strongly attached to an effective advertisement. 4.26 3.52 1.367
An effective advertisement is enjoyed and highly appreciated. 3.29 0.832

Liking Customer’s affinity towards an advertisement ensures its effectiveness. 3.59 0.845
An advertisement that makes target audience more inclined towards 2.89 0.759
a product or a service is successful.
An effective advertisement compels a customer to prefer a product
or service over other. 3.56 1.057

37
38
Table 5 (Cont.)
SD
Dimension Items Mean

An effective advertisement creates customer desire to buy a product or a service. 4.46 3.74 0.682
Purchase
An advertisement that aspire customers to purchase a product or service is effective. 3.35 1.325
Intention
An effective advertisement inclines a customer towards a product or service. 3.42 1.061
A powerful advertisement is one which is easy to remember and recollect. 4.56 4.27 0.634
An effective advertisement is impressive and unforgettable. 4.26 1.109
Recall
An advertisement that is easy to bring back to one’s mind is efficient. 4.32 1.813
An effective advertisement is distinctive, noteworthy and easily remembered. 3.92 0.761
An effective advertisement is easily identifiable and noticeable. 4.45 4.09 0.623
Recognition An effective advertisement is easily accepted by its target audience. 3.92 0.872
For an advertisement to be effective, it should be acknowledged without difficulty. 3.89 0.736
An effective advertisement relates itself well to a product or a service. 2.19 3.01 1.286

Relevance An effective advertisement communicates clearly about a product or a service. 2.86 2.157
For an advertisement to be effective, it should be appropriate to the context 3.97 1.216
of the product or service advertised.
A successful advertisement is trustworthy and reliable. 3.72 3.40 1.370
For an advertisement to be effective, it should be capable of eliciting trust 3.97 1.216
Believable and belief in target audience.
An advertisement that is credible and easily believed is effective. 3.56 1.143
For an advertisement to be effective, it should be reasonable. 3.65 3.31 1.065
Rationality
An effective advertisement is logical. 2.97 0.863
An effective advertisement is always captivating and arresting. 3.25 3.26 0.739
Memorable For an advertisement to be effective, it should be distinctive. 2.89 1.047
An advertisement which is noteworthy is always successful. 3.63 1.973

The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

automobiles in the Indian print scenario. Consequently, Round III of Delphi resulted in
the finalization of 13 drivers from an initial list of 32 dimensions of effective advertising
as the drivers of advertisement effectiveness for the Indian automobile sector taking the
print media into consideration.

Discussion
As discussed, the review of literature led to the identification of various drivers of effective
advertising which differed from researcher to researcher for a specific media in context.
No common/generic drivers of effective advertising were available for automobiles specific
to the print media. The execution of Delphi rounds facilitated the reduction and
refinement of varied 32 initial drivers to 13 drivers of effective advertising in the context
of the Indian print media or the automobile sector. Implementation of structured Delphi
approach also helped in the recognition of items related to each of the finalized driver
of effective advertising that aided in defining them in the context of print media.
Table 6 illustrates the list of finalized drivers of effective advertising for the Indian
automobile sector in the context of the print media.

Table 6: Finalized Drivers of Effective Advertising for Automobiles

Dimension No. Dimension Dimension No. Dimension

D20 Persuasion D22 Purchase Intention
D2 Attention D25 Recall
D15 Interest D26 Recognition
D30 Response D23 Rationality
D14 Informative D5 Believable
D16 Liking D28 Relevance
D17 Memorable

Based on the research gaps as derived from the review of literature, the present study
attempts to understand the area of advertising and to identify the drivers of effective
advertising specific to automobile sector in the context of print media in India. An effort
is made through the present study to provide a meaningful classification of ambiguous,
complex and highly intermingled research literature on advertisement effectiveness.
Implementation of Delphi technique led to the reduction and refinement of diverse
drivers of effective advertising to 13 specific drivers for automobiles in the Indian print
media context. The study also assisted in the recognition of items associated with each
of the finalized driver for the automobiles that resulted in defining these dimensions in
the context of print media.

Implications
This study has several remarkable implications for academicians, future researchers,
advertisement practitioners and practicing managers.

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 39

 • The literature review which is carried out for the present study and consequent
literature categorization is valuable resource for future investigations in the
area of effective advertising. It is expected to assist the academicians and
research scholars in the advertising domain to further explore the area.

• The research methodology which is adopted for present work is likely to provide
validated support to future researchers to examine the field of effective
advertising further in their own research context.

• The study has explored the subject of effective advertising in the context of
automobile sector for print media only. Researchers should carry out a detailed
content analysis of a specific media to recognize products/services which are
prominently advertised in that particular media.

• Advertisement practitioners dealing with print media in India may use

presented methodical approach and research framework to develop effective
advertising strategies for product specific promotional campaigns.

• The study resulted in the recognition of 13 drivers of effective advertising for

the Indian automobile industry. It suggests that advertisers must focus on
these 13 specific drivers only while designing an advertisement copy for an
automobile company to create a greater impact on potential customers.

Conclusion
The present study attempts to investigate the subject of advertising and to identify its
drivers for the automobile sector in the Indian print context using Delphi technique.
The study demonstrated the successful implementation of Delphi technique in order to
build consensus among experts to reduce and refine varied drivers of effective advertising
for automobile sector in the context of Indian print scenario. Delphi panelists have
finalized 13 dimensions out of an initial list of 32 dimensions as drivers of effective
advertising for automobiles in the context of print media. The insights gained through
this work have valuable implications for academia, researchers and advertising industry
as a whole. The systematic approach and developed research scheme is expected to be
beneficial to explore this research area in different media context. However, there is a
need to authenticate the proposed methodical approach using statistical methods such
as factor analysis. It will lead to the development of a separate, more comprehensive
research approach or framework to understand the area of advertisement effectiveness
in detail.

Future Scope: The scope of the present work is limited to identifying the drivers of
effective advertising for the automobile industry in the case of Indian print scenario
only. Future researchers may explore advertising effectiveness in the context of other
product/service category as well as for different media. Further, researchers may use the
presented methodical approach to explore the area of advertisement effectiveness for
other media forms taking services into consideration. A well-established modeling

40 The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

approach such as Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) or Structural Equation Modeling
(SEM) may be implemented to build up the interrelationships/linkages among the
identified product/service specific drivers for a particular media in context.
Implementation of a structural modeling approach will identify the hierarchy through
which advertisement effectiveness can be achieved in a specific media context. It will be
of great assistance to advertising agencies and professionals to develop advertising
objectives and strategies accordingly.J

References
1. Bendixen M T (1993), “Advertising Effects and Effectiveness”, European Journal of
Marketing, Vol. 27, No. 10, pp. 19-32.
2. Bovet D and Sheffi Y (1998), “ The Brave New World of Supply Chain
Management”, Supply Chain Management Review, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 14-22.
3. Ching R K, Tong P, Chen J S and Chen H Y (2013), “Narrative Online Advertising:
Identification and its Effects on Attitude Toward a Product”, Internet Research,
Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 414-438.
4. Christian R C (1965), “How Much Does an Industrial Logotype Add to the
Effectiveness of an Advertisement?”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 23-36.
5. Corvi E and Bonera M (2010), “The Effectiveness of Advertising: A Literature
Review ”, in 10 th Global Conference on Business and Economics, October,
pp. 15-16.
6. Das M and Sharma S (2016), “Portrayal of Women in Indian TV Advertisements:
A Study of Audience Perception”, IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 15,
No. 3, pp. 57-95.
7. Delbecq A L, Andrew H V and David H G (1975), Group Techniques for Program
Planning: A Guide to Nominal Group and Delphi Processes, pp. 83-107, Glenview, IL.
8. Devlin M and Combs J (2012), “From Apple to Omega: Brand Placement in 2010
Top-Earning Films”, in American Academy of Advertising Conference Proceedings (Online),
p. 51, American Academy of Advertising.
9. Gabriel S J (2006), “The Impact of Television Advertisements on Youth: A Study”,
The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, pp. 1-10.
10. Gardner D M (1975), “Deception in Advertising: A Conceptual Approach”, The
Journal of Marketing, pp. 40-46.

11. Gkiouzepas L and Hogg M K (2011), “Articulating a New Framework for Visual
Metaphors in Advertising”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 103-120.

12. Hanssens D M and Weitz B A (1980), “The Effectiveness of Industrial Print

Advertisements across Product Categories”, Journal of Marketing Research,
pp. 294-306.

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 41

13. Hofacker C F and Murphy J (1998), “World Wide Web Banner Advertisement
Copy Testing”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 32, Nos. 7/8, pp. 703-712.

14. Homer P M (2009), “Product Placements”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 38, No. 3,
pp. 21-32.

15. Hudson S, Hung C L and Padley L (2002), “Cross-National Standardization of

Advertisements: A Study of the Effectiveness of TV Advertisements Targeted at
Chinese Canadians in Canada”, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 21, No. 3,
pp. 345-366.

16. Jeffrey R (2012), “Missing from the Indian Newsroom”, The Hindu, April 9, 2012.

17. Keshari P, Jain A and Jain S (2012), “Constituents of Advertising Effectiveness: A

Study of Select Service Advertisements”, Journal of Services Research, Vol. 12, No. 2,
pp. 111-127.

18. Landeta J (1999), “El método Delphi. Una técnica de previsión para la incertidumbre”,
Barcelona, Ariel.

19. Law S and Braun K A (2000), “I’ll Have What She’s Having: Gauging the Impact
of Product Placements on Viewers”.

20. Lee J, Park D H and Han I (2011), “The Different Effects of Online Consumer
Reviews on Consumers’ Purchase Intentions Depending on Trust in Online Shopping
Malls: An Advertising Perspective”, Internet Research, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 187-206.

21. Lees G and Healey B (2005), “A Test of the Effectiveness of a Mouse Pointer Image
in Increasing Click Through for a Web Banner Advertisement”, Marketing Bulletin,
Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 6-15.

22. Linstone H A and Turoff M (Eds.) (1975), The Delphi Method: Techniques and
Applications, Vol. 29, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.

23. Loken B and Pitney B (1988), “Effectiveness of Cigarettes Advertisements on Women:

An Experimental Study”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 378-382.

24. Miller G (2001) “The Development of Indicators for Sustainable Tourism: Results
of a Delphi Survey of Tourism Researchers”, Tourism Management, Vol. 22, No. 4,
pp. 351-362.

25. Nelson M R, Keum H and Yaros R A (2004), “Advertainment or Adcreep Game

Players’ Attitudes Toward Advertising and Product Placements in Computer Games”,
Journal of Interactive Advertising, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 3-21.

26. Newstead K and Romaniuk J (2009), “The Relative Effectiveness of 15 and 3

Second Television Advertisements”, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 10,
pp. 68-77.

42 The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

27. Patterson P M and Richards T J (2000), “Newspaper Advertisement Characteristics
and Consumer Preferences for Apples: A MIMIC Model Approach”, Agribusiness,
Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 159-177.

28. Poonia A K, Chauhan G S, Sharma M and Das M (2015), “A Study of First Page
Advertising Trends in Select Indian Newspapers”, IUP Journal of Marketing
Management, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 20-38.

29. Popova I and Tanglertpanya T (2011), “Measuring Effectiveness of Internet

Advertisement”, International Cross-Industry Research Journal, Vol. 7, pp. 34-56.

30. Raghunath A S (2012), “5 Reasons Why Print Media Still Relevant in India”,
available at www.mxmindia.com, September 11, 2012.

31. Ranjbarian B, Shaemi A and Jolodar S Y E (2011), “Assessing the Effectiveness of

Electric Conservation Advertisements in Isfahan Channel Television”, International
Business Research, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 194-209.

32. Reid N (1988), “The Delphi Technique: It’s Contribution to the Evaluation of
Professional Practice”, Professional Competence and Quality Assurance in the Caring
Professions, pp. 230-262.

33. Robert G and Wallace H (1974), “Advertising Communication: TV vs. Print”, Journal
of Advertising Research, Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 19-32.

34. Rowe G and Wright G (1996), “ The Impact of Task Characteristics on the
Performance of Structured Group Forecasting Techniques”, International Journal of
Forecasting, Vol. 12, pp. 73-89.

35. Samu S and Bhatnagar N (2008), “The Efficacy of AntiSmoking Advertisements:

The Role of Source, Message, and Individual Characteristics”, International Journal
of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 237-250.

36. Santana J D M and Palacio A B (2012), “The Effectiveness of Web Ads: Rectangle
vs. Contextual Banners”, Online Information Review, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 420-441.

37. Santana J D M, Reinares-Lara P and Reinares-Lara E (2016), “Spot Length and

Unaided Recall in Television”, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 56, No. 3,
pp. 274-288.

38. Seno D and Lukas B A (2007), “The Equity Effect of Product Endorsement by
Celebrities: A Conceptual Framework from a Co-branding Perspective”, European
Journal of Marketing, Vol. 41, No. 1/2, pp. 121-134.

39. Shah H A and Tillman T S (2011), “An International Delphi Study to Build a
Foundation for an Undergraduate Level Lean Manufacturing Curriculum”,
International Transaction Journal of Engineering, Management and Applied Sciences and
Technologies, Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 521-530.

Indian Automobile Industry and Effective Advertising: A Qualitative Analysis 43

40. Sheth J N (1974), “Measurement of Advertising Effectiveness: Some Theoretical
Considerations”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 6-11.
41. Spotts H E, Weinberger M G and Parsons A L (1997), “Assessing the Use and
Impact of Humor on Advertising Effectiveness: A Contingency Approach”, Journal
of Advertising, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 17-32.
42. Starch D (1964), “Testing the Effectiveness of Advertisements”, Harvard Business
Review, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 1-23.

43. Suttle R (2009), “Definition of Advertising Effectiveness”, available at

www.smallbusiness.chron.com

44. Wang Q, Sun T, Li M et al. (2013), “Effectiveness of the ‘Made in China’ TV

Advertisement”, Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, Vol. 6, No. 1,
pp. 4-18.

45. Williams P L and Webb C (1994), “The Delphi Technique: A Methodological

Discussion”, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 180-186.

46. Yoo S C and Pena J (2011), “Do Violent Video Games Impair the Effectiveness of
In-game Advertisements? The Impact of Gaming Environment on Brand Recall,
Brand Attitude and Purchase Intention”, Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social
Networking, Vol. 14, No. 7-8, pp. 439-446.

47. Zolingen S J and Klaassen C A (2003), “Selection Processes in a Delphi Study

About Key Qualifications in Senior Secondary Vocational Education”, Technological
Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 70, No. 4, pp. 317-340.

Reference # 03J-2017-08-02-01

44 The IUP Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. XVI, No. 3, 2017

Copyright of IUP Journal of Marketing Management is the property of IUP Publications and
its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the
copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email
articles for individual use.