“Skip ad! Skip ad! Skip ad!” : an exploratory analysis of the impact of repetitive online video marketing stimuli on consumer behaviour

Abstract

In a strategic manoeuvre to position their online video promotional messages above any competing ads, marketers have recognized the opportunity to re-exploit repetition techniques previously implemented successfully on traditional forms of media. Predominately, the main aim of this study is to analyse and evaluate the degree to which such repetitive online video marketing techniques alter a consumer’s purchasing intentions, purchasing cycle, and attitudes towards a product or a service. A thorough analysis of the literature provided ample evidence that suggests that advertising techniques previously deemed as successful on traditional mediums of communication withhold no guarantee that they can be replicated with a similar rate of success online. Multiple sources of literature supported the notion that the key impediment that might obstruct the successful implantation of repetitive exposure techniques within the confinements of an online environment, lies in the fact that in contrast to the sequential nature of traditional mediums of communication, the internet is a highly goal-oriented platform and any stimulus that obstructs or delays a user from the completion of a preordained task tends to be automatically labelled as either intrusive or frustrating. Results collected from the distribution of an web-based questionnaire indicated that although repetitive online video adverts might risk a company’s digital campaign being labelled as intrusive or annoying, such a risk might also ultimately yield beneficial results in the immediate future through either increased brand exposure, higher brand recall, or enhanced consumer purchasing intentions. The final section of the study provides recommendations on how companies can strike the right balance between achieving their marketing goals and seamlessly incorporating their video marketing campaigns within a consumer’s online journey, without radically interrupting their online paths.