(The) effect of media context on ad avoidance in online video platform

Abstract

Since the global online video platform YouTube appeared in 2005, the online video advertising (OVA) market has continuously grown over the past 10 years. OVA is preferred by clients, because it attracts longer periods of online users’ attention and concentration, and offers more varied strategies for engaging those all-important “eyeballs.” However, despite OVA’s strength and high growth, more than 70% of video service users avoid OVA. What factors are influential to their ad-viewing or ad-skipping behaviors? Most importantly, what makes them watch an ad longer or in its entirety? Unfortunately, existing research does not fully explain or verify these issues owing to (1) lack of consideration about actual OVA viewing situations and (2) methodological limitations. Considering media context effects having a higher importance than the traditional media, this study analyzed OVA viewing behaviors using the integrative approach of (1) Mental Accounting of Time and (2) Anticipatory Emotion Congruity, which has not been attempted previously. It is the first attempt to analyze actual log data of user behaviors in online video platform and extend the concept of media context to mental accounting of time in OVA research. It also provides strategical implications for online video platform operators, content providers, and online advertising representatives.