MILLENNIALS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE COMMUNICATIOI\ EFFECT OF YOUTUBNhINNXETING : THE CASE OF BATTICALOA DISTRICT ERAVURPATTU DIVISION

Abstract

YouTube (YT) is the largest global digital video information and communication technology (ICT) channel and has become an important channel for companies and their brands to reach younger target markets with their marketing communications (MC). Therefore the organizations and their brands have allocated large amount of money to YouTube Marketing Communication, but without knowledge of the attitude phases that lead up to financial purchase or ultimate behavioural outcomes, especially among young consumers. To face this problem, this study to investigate the impact of traditional attitudinal relationships (liking impact on preference, awareness impact on knowledge and purchase intent impact on purchasg) and non-traditional attitudinal relationships (knowledge impact on preference and pr"f.r".t." impact on purchase) due to YTMC among the millennials cohort in the Eravurpattu Division in the Batticaloa District. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey method. Questionnaires were issued to 400 millennials' living in the Eravur Pattu Division and 350 questionnaires received from them, after the elimination only 300 respondents was analyzed.In this study, the statistical tools used to analyze the levels of variables were measured by univariate analysis, while relationships were measured by Pearson correlation, and the impact was measured by linear regression. The study found that YTMC had a positive effect on all of the traditional and nontraditional attitudinal relationships. The most favorable attitudinal responses were evident among gender, age group, access via computer and mobile devices, longer usage length (in years), higher log-on frequencies, md higher log-on duration. Organizations should review their YTMC strategies to take cognizance of the positive attitudinal relationships and demographic variables identified by this research when targeting millennial consumers.