Determinants of Indian consumers' attitudes towards controversial product advertising

This study examines how Hindu and Muslim consumers in India perceive controversial product advertising (CPA) in various product categories and its influence on their sociomoral disgust. The study further empirically assesses the direct and indirect impacts of sociomoral disgust on consumers' purchase intentions through their attitudes toward CPA as a mediator variable. The study used a purposive sampling technique to collect the responses from 272 Hindu and 273 Muslim consumers and applied covariance-based structural equation modelling to the data. The results indicate a significant difference in perceptions between Hindu and Muslim consumers. Hindu consumers are greatly influenced by political-related CPA, while Muslim consumers are more influenced by alcoholic-related CPA. Sociomoral disgust negatively affects the attitudes towards CPA of both groups of consumers, which further influences their purchase intentions. The study results help the marketing managers design appropriate advertising strategies that can positively convert the perception of religious consumers towards CPA in India and avoid future boycotts against these products.