Countdown timers improve online video advertising effectiveness: evidence from eye-tracking data

Purpose This research aims to examine whether countdown timers affect online video advertising effectiveness and test the mediating roles of viewer attention and irritation. It also aims to explore whether commercial length or informational ad category (experience vs search) moderates this effect. Design/methodology/approach Four experiments (lab and eye-tracking) were conducted to examine how countdown timers affect online video advertising effectiveness by measuring viewers’ attention, irritation and ad effectiveness. Findings Studies 1A and 1B reveal that countdown timers enhance memory for both short and long video ads – especially for experience ads (Study 1B). Eye-tracking data in Study 2 reveals that this enhancement stems from increased attention, not reduced irritation. Eye-tracking data in Study 3 further shows that attention mediates this enhancement effect more strongly for experience than for search ads. Practical implications Managers can enhance the effectiveness of online video ads by incorporating peripheral cues that capture viewers’ attention, such as countdown timers, especially in experience ads. Originality/value This research extends previous research by showing that using peripheral cues, such as countdowns, and integrating them with central cues intrinsic to the advertising content – such as the informational ad category – can enhance the effectiveness of online video advertising. It uniquely shows that combining countdowns with the informational ad category is more effective than combining countdowns with commercial length. Furthermore, this study is among the first to examine the roles of attention, as measured by eye-tracking techniques, and irritation in the effect of countdown timers on the effectiveness of online video advertising.