How mobile users respond to pre-roll skippable advertising differently than personal computer (PC) users: an analysis of individual-level clickstream data

Abstract

Mobile devices have evolved as a major channel for online video consumption. With the growth of online video platforms, various ad formats have been experimented to increase advertising effectiveness. One such attempt is pre-roll skippable ads that allow users to skip an ad after watching it for a few seconds. Despite pre-roll ads providing better user experience, their high skipping rate is alarming to advertisers and brands. Recent studies revealed what factors influence pre-roll ad acceptance, yet little has been known regarding the role of device type. This study investigates how mobile users respond to pre-roll skippable ads differently than PC users, focusing on individual and contextual factors of video consumption. Using individual-level clickstream data obtained from a major online video platform in South Korea, this study found that mobile users tend to skip pre-roll ads more often than PC users, but the degree differs by individual and contextual factors.

Keywords:

• mobile devices
• smartphones
• pre-roll advertising
• skippable advertising
• ad acceptance
• ad skipping
• ad avoidance
• online video platform
• clickstream data

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to its proprietary nature, the dataset used in this study cannot be made openly available.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Institute of Management Research at Seoul National University (grant number: N/A).