The Psychology of Ad Skipping: How Personality Shapes Viewer Behavior

Source:

Dharba, S., Gandhi, S., Torres, I. M., Madadi, R., & Zúñiga, M. Á. (2024). Secrets to why consumers skip ads: The moderating role of personality traits. Journal of Marketing Communications, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2024.2428946

---

In our current digital world, online video ads are a staple of marketing strategies. However, as advertisers try to grab the attention of audiences, they face a growing challenge: the ad-skip. A study recently put out in the Journal of Marketing Communications casts some light on this thing and looks into the complicated connection between personalities and skipping ads.

The Rise of Ad Skipping

Platforms like YouTube show the immense possibility for advertisers to reach a lot of people (roughly 2 billion people log in each month). The presence of options that allow a user to skip the ad has totally changed the landscape of marketing. Most people see ads as disruptive or irrelevant and therefore look to the quickest, most efficient path to the content they seek.

The Role of Personality

The study has a new angle on things by examining how the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience) affect skipping ads.

Key Findings:

1. Extraversion: Those high in extraversion see ads as more relevant and engaging. Because they are sociable, they are more receptive to ads as chances for interaction or cognitive engagement.

2. Agreeableness: Those who score high in agreeableness tend to see ads as relevant and non-intrusive. Because they tend toward harmony and cooperation, they are more accepting of ads that match their values.

3. Conscientiousness and Neuroticism: The research demonstrates how these traits increase the negative impacts of perceived irrelevance and intrusiveness on avoiding the ad.

Implications for Marketers

Understanding the many personality-driven responses opens some interesting doors for marketing:

1. Personalization is Key: Tailoring your ad content to line up with diverse personality types can dramatically cut down on skipping the ad.

2. Content Strategy: For those who are more extraverted, make your ads feel more like interactions. For agreeable people, focus on ads that highlight community values and the social good.

3. Timing and Placement: Pay attention to the context of your ad placements, especially for those who are high in conscientiousness since they may be more sensitive to being interrupted.

4. Softer Approaches: For those who tend to skew toward neuroticism, use less intrusive ad styles or native advertising.

The Future of Advertising

Being able to understand and work with individual personality differences will be essential for making solid, dependable marketing strategies. When marketers use these findings, they can make more appealing, meaningful, and personality-tailored campaigns that speak to the audience on a deeper level.

This study on skipping ads and personality has given us a new way of seeing how online ads work. As the digital sphere continues to develop, so will our strategies for engaging audiences. By thinking about the way our audience receives a message, marketers can produce more effective, customized, and ultimately more productive advertising campaigns.