Chinese Consumers' Skepticism Toward Advertising‪.‬

Consumer skepticism toward advertising is the general tendency of disbelief of advertising claims and represents a marketplace belief that varies across individuals (Obermiller & Spangenberg, 1998). As a critical response to advertising messages, skepticism may cause consumers to shun advertising and preach down advertising sources (Mangelburg & Bristol, 1998). Hence, the extent and nature of skepticism toward advertising has been a significant concern of marketers. From the consumers' perspective, on the other hand, an awareness of such tendencies would enhance their ability to make informed choices about products to be advertised. Over the last decade, the significance of skepticism about advertising has caught much attention from researchers (e.g., Feick & Gierl, 1996; Lowery & Fleur, 1988; Obermiller & Spangenberg, 2000; Obermiller et al., 2005). Although most empirical studies have identified situational factors and certain socialization agents, such as the mass media, as being correlated with advertising skepticism in predominately European and American samples, little research has been done in an important Asian market--China. Since the adoption of an open policy in the late 1970s, China's advertising industry has experienced considerable growth. Compared to consumers in the United States, Chinese consumers are expected to place greater faith in the marketer's message at the early development of the industry (Pollay et al., 1990). However, deceptive advertising related to medicine and other products has appeared more frequently in recent years and has caused consumers to mistrust advertising claims (Xinhua News Agency, 2006). In this context, Chinese consumers' skepticism toward advertising should be examined.