Measures the extent to which exposure to a personalised advertisement produces affective feelings of vulnerability, including a sense of exposure, lack of protection, and susceptibility to harm. Developed through a multi-stage qualitative and quantitative process in the context of the personalisation paradox, where targeted advertising may heighten consumer discomfort rather than increase engagement.
7-point Likert-type (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
Developed from 15 candidate items reduced to 7 via qualitative study, then to 5 via pilot test (n=108). Single-factor structure confirmed. Evidence reported for discriminant, convergent, and nomological validity. Scale captures affective (not purely cognitive) vulnerability; authors explicitly distinguish the two. Stem: To what extent did the advertisement make you feel...
Aguirre, E., Mahr, D., Grewal, D., de Ruyter, K., & Wetzels, M. (2015). Unraveling the personalization paradox: The effect of information collection and trust-building strategies on online advertisement effectiveness. Journal of Retailing, 91(1), 34-49.
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