Use and evaluation of the web: A case in Hong Kong

The Web is an emerging medium for marketing communication and business transaction. There is a need to re-think the processes for designing communication messages and creative strategies in the new medium. This study reviewed the use of Internet among individuals and companies in Hong Kong and examined the impact of two design factors – interactivity and image-to-text ratio – on evaluative responses of Web sites. One hundred and forty-four respondents randomly browsed one of the four versions of two products. The findings supported Petty and Cacioppo’s Elaboration Likelihood Model (1981). Under the low product involvement condition, respondents found Web sites with high level of interactivity more interesting than Web sites with low level of interactivity. Under the high product involvement condition, design factors were not related with audience evaluation. Product interest and Internet literacy had positive relation with respondents’ evaluation of Web sites. Factor analysis based on mean scores of the fourteen evaluation statements indicated that the underlying dimensions of Internet evaluation were appreciation, information content and clarity of presentation. Implications for web advertisers were discussed.