The Hand, the Bill... or Both? The Role of Credibility in Handbill Acceptance

Gerard P. Prendergast, King Ting Wai and Wing Yi Cheung

Handbills are paper advertisements that are distributed by hand to pedestrians. What roles do the credibility of the distributor and the credibility of the handbill have in the probability that a handbill offered will be accepted? Street intercept interviews with 223 pedestrians in Hong Kong showed that distributor credibility positively predicted handbill acceptance, but the credibility of the handbill itself mediated this relationship.

The Hand, the Bill... or Both? The Role of Credibility in Handbill Acceptance

Gerard P. Prendergast, King Ting Wai and Wing Yi Cheung

Hong Kong Baptist University

Management slant

  • Handbills are commonly distributed in high pedestrian districts around the world. Invoking theories related to source credibility and medium credibility, a survey in Hong Kong highlighted the interrelationships among distributor credibility, handbill credibility, environmental concerns, and handbill acceptance.
  • Results indicated that distributor credibility positively predicts handbill acceptance. The credibility of the handbill itself mediates this relationship between distributor credibility and handbill acceptance. The relationship between handbill credibility...

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