SKIPPABLE AND NON-SKIPPABLE ADS – THE YIN AND YANG OF DIGITAL VIDEO ADVERTISING
(A2022-107730)

AUTHORS

Julian Wichmann, University of Cologne

ABSTRACT

Skippable online video advertisements that allow consumers to skip an ad after a few seconds have been around for almost ten years (Pashkevich et al. 2012) and are widely adopted by marketers (IAB Europe 2018). Nonetheless, literature on this unique ad format is scarce and lacks a detailed understanding of how it affects consumer perceptions. This study sheds light on this issue by analysing how skippability and skipping of ads influence consumers’ perceptions of the ad and the brand. The results show that although skipping is self-imposed, it causes users to enjoy the ad less leading to irritation—even when controlling for self-selection. This effect is moderated by an ad’s composition with skippability harming (benefitting) ads with a narrative (commercial) focus. Finally, combining skippable with non-skippable ad formats in a campaign can significantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency compared to campaigns that only feature (non-)skippable ads.