What drives Muslim Malaysian consumers’ general attitude towards religious advertising?

Purpose: Given the increased interest in the practical significance of the general attitude towards religious advertising, the purpose of this paper is to examine what influences consumers’ general attitude towards religious advertising in Malaysia. 

Design/methodology/approach: An analytical research design was used to examine the impact of five factors (attitude towards the purpose/goal of the religious advertising [attitude institution], the quality of the message [attitude instrument], the information presented in the religious advertising about the product [product information], the social image associated with the advertised product [social image] and the hedonic pleasure owing to the advertisement of the product or service [hedonic pleasure]) on the general attitude towards religious advertising. Data were collected using an online survey (n = 210) and were analysed using structural equation modelling method. 

Findings: The research found that the attitude towards the institution of advertising and the hedonic pleasure significantly influence the general attitude towards religious advertising. However, the quality of the advertisement, social image and product information were found to be insignificant predictors. Overall, this is a surprising result, where consumers place their trust in the reputation of the provider of the product or service and act based on the stimulus of good feeling the advertisement converse to them. 

Originality/value: This paper fills the gap in the research, as there are very few studies done on religious advertising. This paper has presented ways to improve practices of religious advertising.