Roadblock Advertising In the Digital Context

Roadblock advertising involves limiting or blocking access to competing advertisements for a period of time and can be a useful option in the face of media fragmentation. This study introduces roadblock advertising to the academic literature, defines it, and proposes a typology of formats of this type of advertising. Three experimental studies are presented that compare the effectiveness of roadblock advertising with conventional “full-load” advertising; examine the effectiveness of two different types of roadblock advertising—within pod (concentrated) versus across pod (distributed); and compare the effects of within-pod and across-pod roadblock advertising for new versus familiar brands. Findings suggest that roadblock advertising has high potential for advertisers and is an effective technique for breaking through clutter.