Temporal Certainty and Skippable In-Stream Commercials: Effects of Ad Length, Timer, and Skip-ad Button on Irritation and Skipping Behavior

Yongwoog Andrew Jeon, Hyunsang Son, Arnold D. Chung and Minette E. Drumwright

Journal of Interactive Marketing, 2019, vol. 47, issue C, 144-158

Abstract: Does a timer—displayed during an in-stream commercial to show viewers how long they need to wait—help relieve the ad irritation that viewers experience when they have to wait for a video to play? Likewise, does the skip-ad button that allows viewers to skip an ad after several seconds help lessen their irritation with the commercial? This research theoretically and empirically examined whether reducing temporal uncertainty (i.e., using a timer to let viewers know the ad length) in skippable advertising actually helped relieve viewers' ad irritation and reduce their likelihood of ad-skipping. Across two experimental studies, temporal certainty (e.g., the presence of the timer) during short commercials generally decreased ad irritation. In contrast, when a skip-ad button is displayed, temporal certainty during both short and long commercials increased ad irritation, which subsequently decreased advertising effectiveness. Also, the higher the ad irritation, the higher the ad-skipping rate. Theoretical and managerial implications of these results are discussed, and alternative solutions for reducing ad irritation are provided.

Keywords: Skip ad; Pre-roll ads; Temporal uncertainty; In-stream video; Timer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joinma:v:47:y:2019:i:c:p:144-158

DOI: 10.1016/j.intmar.2019.02.005

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