Unskippable bad reflux

Imagine this: You settle in to watch your favourite YouTube channel and before you even dive in, you're hit with a 30-second advertisement you can't skip. Adverts are an integral part as they help make money, but online users are livid with the constant bombardment of annoying, invasive unskippable 30-second ads on various social media platforms and entertainment channels today. Consumers see these ‘forced ads’ as a major annoyance. They not only disrupt the viewing experience, but people develop a dislike towards the brand and the platform itself. However, advertisers prefer this format as it offers them a guaranteed audience.

Shyamashree D'mello, an independent creative director and former creative head of Swiggy says, “Viewer's tendency to press ‘Skip’ is intuitive since they will not watch ads that go beyond 10 seconds. Hence brands should create ads within this timeframe.” Currently, the news of Instagram testing UNSKIPPABLE ads on a few users went viral, garnering criticism from its audience for using intrusive means of advertising.

Unskippable Dilemma

Shaurya Tyagi, head of Digital Marketing and Loyalty at Reliance explains that unskippable ads are those that the consumer cannot escape. Tyagi says, “Earlier known as bumper ads (as a user would be made to watch 3-4 clips of five seconds each), these are short videos that offer a single and crisp message about the brand. It could promote a new feature about the app or a discount offer the brand offers.”

Elaborating on the types of unskippable ads, D'mello says that there are two types of ads that a brand can opt for – a dedicated 10-second ad designed to emphasize a specific feature and the other is a shortened clip from a longer existing ad. Skippable ads emphasize on story-telling whereas the inelaborate bumper ads try to serve as reminders about the brand's existence.

Ad Difference

The core difference between skippable and unskippable ads lies in viewer control. “This lack of choice is precisely what irks consumers,” says Tyagi. In his opinion, all ads are intrusive, but unskippable ads take it a step further by restricting the viewers to decide what content they consume. D’mello further adds, “We graduated from watching ads on TV to YouTube. Skippable ads that were once considered a novelty, became an expectation.”

Many consumers echo this viewpoint. Abhishek Joshi (24), a digital marketer at HDFC Bank and a consumer says, “I despise such ads and either use ad blockers or buy premium versions of platforms.” He explains that as a working professional, he has limited leisure time and he does not want to waste it by viewing uninteresting advertisements. Dhana-shree Subhedar (21), a media graduate from Mumbai says, “I am immune to ads that are 7-8 seconds long. But the multiple ad breaks made me desperate to go around and ask people about how I could block ads completely.” D’mello explains that many consumers come across unskippable ads on their mobile phone. “Given the size and distance we hold our phones, there is an intimate viewing experience created which is then disrupted by a 30-second ad that you cannot skip. Hence there is an annoyance toward such coerced advertising,” he says.

When asked how consumers could withstand TV advertisements where there were time slots dedicated for adverts and shows, Tyagi says, “Users had the option to switch channels to escape the ads. On the online platforms, they stick around given the short duration of ads to watch their desired content.” Subedar shares a similar experience as a user. “Old TV ads were long enough to be actual breaks, letting me multitask. But the unskippable ads have me

sitting idle, as they aren’t long enough for me to begin with a different task.”

Clever Advertising

Consumers often end up watching the content that they want. Hence, they are a guaranteed audience for these invasive ads. Tyagi explains, “To measure the success of unskippable ads, YouTube offers a brand lift study for advertisers to help them get an insight about the effectiveness of their ad campaign using YT surveys.” YouTube's brand lift study compares viewers who saw the ad campaign with a control group, that might have seen the ad but not due to YouTube’s algorithm, to assess if the ad resonated with potential new customers. However, D’mello points out that most unskippable ads have hardly ever induced a positive purchase decision in the consumer. Disha Mukhopa-dhyay, a media graduate, says that these ads hardly grab her

attention. “If they repeatedly interrupt the show I am watching, the message gets registered in my head, but I never act upon it.”

Road Ahead

Advertising professionals say that more personalized content on such ads will resonate better with consumers. D’mello and Joshi both agree that an increase in targeting and contextual ads will lead to a positive consumer attitude. “If unskippable ads continue to remain unrelatable, people will start taking premium subscriptions to go ad-free,” says D’mello. Consumers like Subedar suggest product placement in particular videos/ shows/movies are more effective rather than advertising separately in between shows. A student of engineering from IIT Bhilai says, “Creative ads, like Toyota's 4.9-second Yaris commercial of 2018 that acknowledges its brevity, can effectively showcase a product while respecting viewers' time. I would want to see more witty ads as a consumer.”

Ultimately, the success of unskippable ads hinges on their ability to inform or entertain viewers within a limited timeframe. They must offer value beyond mere brand recall, fostering a positive association that transcends the forced intrusion. Only then can they become a truly impactful tool in the digital advertising landscape.

Most unskippable ads have hardly ever induced a positive purchase decision in the consumer.” — Shyamashree D'mello, Independent Creative Director