Nuanced effects of media multitasking on long-standing advertising measures: a controlled experiment

This study investigates the impact of media multitasking on the two most popular constructs in advertising and public relations research – attitude toward the ad (ATAD) and the brand (ATBR), as well as their relationship with purchase intention. While media multitasking is a common behavior among research participants of online surveys and experiments associated with lower data quality, its impact on research has not been adequately examined. We address this using a 2 (media multitasking: present vs. absent) × 3 (ad message repetition) mixed factorial experiment design (N = 229). Our findings reveal that media multitasking harms unidimensionality and measurement invariance properties of ATAD, particularly for less familiar brands. In contrast, the effect on ATBR is more nuanced, and the impact on the relationship between ATAD, ATBR and purchase intention is negligible. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how media multitasking affects data quality, particularly concerning the measurement of two key constructs widely used in marketing and communication fields. Our work offers valuable insights for scholars and practitioners, highlighting the importance of considering the potential impact of media multitasking when analyzing and interpreting research findings.