Pixels to Purchases: The Influence of In-Game Ad Interactivity, Brand Attitude, and Game-Product Congruence on Buying Intentions

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of IGA interactivity on purchase intention, with brand attitude as a mediator and game-product congruence as a moderator. With the growing digital marketing, it is imperative to understand the role of interactivity in shaping consumer behavior for advertisers and game developers. This study employed a quantitative survey method to collect data from 353 PUBG Mobile players exposed to McLaren IGA using convenience sampling. To measure key constructs validated questionnaires were adopted and validity and reliability were confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Structural Equation modeling using the Measurement model and structural model was used for data analysis. Findings show that IGA interactivity has a significant positive direct and indirect impact on purchase intention via brand attitude, with stronger game product congruence adding to the impact. This paper integrates transportation theory into IGA literature to provide strategic insights for immersive, contextually relevant advertising.