Bellman, Schweda, and Varan (2010) compare the effects of partial exposure from six ways of avoiding television advertising, including DVR skipping, with full-attention exposures.

Ignoring an advertisement, the most common form of avoidance, has effects equal to fast-forwarding. Prior exposure makes partial exposures, including fast-forwarding, work better as reminder ads, and it also increases avoidance. Doubling the message in the sound track increases effectiveness and is the only counter the study finds to cognitive avoidance.

Method

A laboratory experiment compares partial exposure from six major avoidance modes, including digital video recorder ad skipping, with full-attention controls. The design also varies prior exposure and whether the message is doubled in the sound track.

Main findings

  • Ignoring matches fast-forwarding. Cognitive avoidance, simply ignoring the ad, has effects equal to fast-forwarding.
  • A prior look cuts both ways. Prior exposure increases the recall effectiveness of partial exposures, including fast-forwarding, because they can act as reminder ads. Prior exposure also increases avoidance.
  • The sound track is the counter to ignoring. Doubling the message in the sound track increases effectiveness and is the only way in the study to counteract cognitive avoidance.

Why this is in the Darwin index

This is the avoidance-mode paper next to Brasel and Gips (2008) on brand attention during fast-forwarding. It treats ignoring the ad as its own exposure, equal in effect to skipping through it.

Source of record: doi:10.2753/JOA0091-3367390105.