Consumer Interpretation of Social Media Campaigns : A Qualitative Research on Millennials' Interpretation of SMM Campaigns

Abstract: Consumers had either positive or negative interpretations based on multiple factors. However, the factors we were able to spot were the following: 1. Content 2. Timing 3. Relevancy 4. The metaphors used and its simplicity. 5. Cultural values 6. The message of the ad and its validity. These 6 factors formed discussions in regards to the participant's interpretation of the ads and, in return, ended up with themes that we, as researchers, could identify as either positive or negative interpretations of the ads. Thus, through the observation of the connection between the overarching themes mentioned in 4.5, figure 8 was created to visualise the connection. For social media networks like Tiktok, people are more interested in marketing campaigns that are direct and informative. Further, consumers are attracted to colourful ads with humour, as it eases up the ad for the consumer and makes the ad feel less pushy. Consumers also preferred skippable ads over non-skippable ads as it gave them the chance to decide if the ad was in their interest or not.