Balancing impressiveness and favorability: A qualitative study on an emerging type of advertising in China

Advertising: useful information, emotional resonance, and entertainment

According to the interviews, consumers appear to expect advertising to be meaningful. To consumers, meaningful advertising should fulfill at least one of the following functions: (1) providing solutions to their current concerns in their daily lives, (2) connecting with consumers emotionally, or (3) entertaining consumers with humorous or dramatic content:

This advertisement for RenRen Car is actually telling consumers that its reputation is good. To me, this advertising is solely for this purpose. (Participant 09, male, 52 years old, financial)

My work is related to media, so when I watch advertising I can know what other media platforms are doing, or if there is any new TV series or variety shows. (Participant 10, female, 24 years old, media)

Some advertising in the subway shows consumers’ negative attitude through the form of words. They don’t directly promote products. But because there are a lot of people in the subway, and most of them are white-collar workers, those advertisements can resonate with consumers’ emotion. (Participant 12, male, 27 years old, game)

There is some advertising in the shows that can make me laugh. For example when I see 58tongcheng in an ancient-based TV series, I will find it humorous and will not be annoyed by it. (Participant 11, female, 22 years old, game)

The first function is directly derived from product facts, which advertising alone cannot change. Connecting with consumers emotionally means that the brand demonstrates a compassionate attitude toward consumers, and that consumers feel that the brand “understands” their current worries or concerns. The entertainment function is largely associated with humor or other sensational contents. The second and the third functions are less dependent on product itself than the way of delivering messages; they are the “added value” provided by the advertising. Consumers’ understanding of general advertising provides a foundation for them to discuss short video advertising and CMA.

Short video advertising: seeking versus avoiding

During the research, it was found that consumers think watching mid-roll advertising is “acceptable.” Given that they are watching video contents at no charge on the website, they believe the free contents are provided in exchange for their attention. Nevertheless, consumers are still seeking ways to avoid advertising by downloading video contents to watch offline. Other research also suggests consumers are using advertising blocking applications when watching online short videos (Vallade, 2008). While some consumers are seeking ways to avoid viewing advertising, other consumers are actively searching for video advertising on websites. The inconsistency between those two types of consumers indicates that consumers are not repelled by the sponsored content embedded within advertising or the video format of advertising but are avoiding contents that do not interest them:

Youku and iQiyi both have video advertising. I think advertising on the Internet is acceptable. Because they provide resources, you have to expect them to earn something. If there are no benefits, I mean advertising, the websites cannot run properly. (Participant 04, female, 36 years old, education)

If you are not a VIP, there is usually 60 to 75 minutes [note: it should be seconds instead of minutes] of advertising. In order to avoid those advertisements, I would choose to download the video. Recently, I would also consider paying or registering for VIP to avoid them. (Participant 07, female, 40 years old, financial)

I watch advertising based on my interests. Most of the advertising I watched recently are the ones for which I intentionally searched. Many paid video websites do not contain advertising. On Bilibili.com, there is an advertising section; I sometimes visit to watch advertising. (Participant 13, male, 22 years old, public services)

Mid-roll

When consumers are asked to compare CMA with traditional mid-roll advertising, timing is the factor that is most frequently mentioned. All the participants seem to presume that CMA plays in the middle of the show, an indication of characteristics of mid-roll advertising. In addition, consumers seem to have the opinion that traditional mid-roll advertising “interrupts” their watching experience by playing advertising suddenly during the show, while CMA appears at a specific time when a scene has ended:

This kind of advertising (creative mid-roll advertising) usually comes at moment when what is happening in the story is not too intense. Other advertising may play according to designated times when playing the video. So when you watch the video, you are continuously on edge that there will be advertising that interrupts you. (Participants 01, female, 23 years old, medical)

The difference is that the advertising we watched moments ago is not so all-of-a-sudden. And it plays after a plot has ended, instead of, like we watched earlier, playing the advertising when you are enjoying the video. In that case, it will repel me from the product and the advertiser. (Participant 12, male, 27 years old, game)

According to the interviews, when it comes to an intense scene when viewers are in a highly focused state of mind, traditional mid-roll advertising forcibly switches the content and plays the advertising. As it was reviewed in the previous section of this article, while traditional mid-roll advertising benefits from consumers’ highly attentive state of mind, it suffers from consumers’ unfavorable attitude toward the brand or product because of the perceived disruption (Acquisti & Spiekermann, 2011). Based on consumers’ statements, CMA chooses the position that consumers are less attentive (i.e. between the scenes but still during the show), and it also gains a positive attitude from viewers for this choice. Therefore, it can be concluded that, in terms of advertising position, CMA exchanges the consumers’ attention for a favorable perception toward the advertisement.

Native

In addition to the timing of the advertising, consumers believe that CMA “looks like a part of the content.” By using the actors and settings in the scene, consumers are “deceived” into watching the content, and at first don’t realize it is advertising. The process of watching the native advertising content shortens the time for consumers to receive explicit promotional content and lessens the sense of interruption:

It is more deceivable. It does not bring up the product at first, and (the scene) resembles the ancient times, just like it is in the TV series. Those two guys are in ancient costumes. So it (creative mid-roll advertising) is cleverer. It does not annoy people. The other two clips are apparently advertisements. When people are highly focused on the drama, it annoys me to watch any advertising. This one is clever; I thought it was another plot of the show. So maybe before you even realize it is an advertisement, and have some specific feelings, the advertisement is finished. (Participant 20, female, 50 years old, education)

I don’t know if it is because the advertising is embedded in the story. But because this advertising used the same people, borrowed some of the plot from the show, and played at a relatively relaxing time, I don’t feel it forcibly interrupts me all of a sudden. So I think it is more acceptable. (Participants 01, female, 23 years old, medical)

Since native advertising emphasizes the match of advertising within the context, the CMA could be considered as a type of native advertising and consumers implicitly confirm its characteristic of being native. Like the timing of the advertising position, the native characteristic of CMA seems to contribute to consumers’ acceptance of advertising by lessening the sense of disruption. In addition, it shortens the time for consumers to view advertising, which could further contribute to consumers’ favorable attitude toward the advertising.

Explicit

In contrast with product placement in TV series or movies, the CMA is explicit by presenting the product and introducing it saliently. While people who have no previous knowledge of the product or the brand may not notice product placement in TV shows or movies, the CMA seems to ensure that consumers become aware of promotional messages:

The difference (between creative mid-roll advertising and product placement) is that this kind of advertising is more purposive. It states clearly that you should borrow money from this application. As for product placement, some people may see it, and others may miss it. (Participant 11, female, 22 years old, game)

I usually cannot recognize product placement. My friend would say: “look at that product placement!” then I can notice that. But I would care more about the story instead of looking at what kind of wine he is holding, or what bank he is visiting. (Participant 02, male, 38 years old, financial)

From the quotes above, consumers seem to think that CMA is more explicit than product placement. Although in the former section of this paper, the researcher proposed that CMA has the characteristic of being informational, consumers did not directly associate CMA with this characteristic. Therefore, the proposed characteristic of being informational should be replaced by “explicit.” From this aspect, the CMA exchanges consumers’ favorability for conveying the message by effectively having their attention.

Dramatic

Although the researcher proposed that CMA is characterized by humor, not all participants from the interviews found it humorous. Instead, most of the participants emphasize the exaggeration technique in the advertising:

It (CMA) uses some stickers (note: a type of picture embedded as a special effect in the video) and makes the video seem more like a meme. Actors perform in an exaggerated way. It tries to make itself humorous. I think it is creative. Maybe someone else will find it humorous. (Participant 09, male, 52 years old, financial)

It makes it is easier for people to accept, I think. Because when people are watching TV dramas, their brains are tuned in to the plot. Advertising which is embedded in the plot of drama can let people accept the advertising without letting their minds make too much of a switch. And when it exaggeratedly shows the product in a sudden way, it stimulates consumers’ minds so that people are more impressed by the product. (Participants 02, male, 38 years old, financial)

Based on the interviews, it is more reasonable to substitute the word “humorous” with a more descriptive word “dramatic” to describe the CMA. Dramatic differs from explicit because dramatic focuses on impressing consumers, while the latter only judges whether the advertising delivers the selling information directly to the audiences. According to the interviews, exaggerated performances and narrative techniques make it easier for consumers to accept advertising, while the structure of CMA impresses consumers with the product or the brand. In this sense, the characteristic of being dramatic contributes to both consumers’ attention and their favorability.

Consumers’ favorability toward the character in the show may carry over to their favorability toward the brand

Since CMA uses characters in the TV series to advertise the product, it may intrigue consumers’ reflection on the character’s identity. During the interviews, consumers discuss how they associate the character in the advertisement with his or her identity in the TV series. When they realize it is an advertisement, it actually encourages them to ponder on the advertising again. In this way, the actor/actress in the CMA does not only represent himself/herself but represents the fictional character in the TV series. Especially when the character has some likable characteristics, the likability can be transferred to benefit brand equity:

This advertising is interesting (CMA). It uses the character in the show to promote the mobile application (the product in the advertising). Comparing to the advertising in the past that will play all of a sudden, I prefer this kind of advertising because my affection to the character in the TV series may transfer to the product. (Participant 14, female, 23 years old, student)

“Contrast” is a double-edged sword regarding the impact of CMA

Based on the interviews, consumers state three types of “contrasts”: the contrast within the advertising, the contrast between advertising and context, and the one between advertising and the product category. In some narrative advertising, a spokesman/spokeswoman may speak out or repeat the punchline to impress the audience. The punchline seems to stand out from the show according to some of the consumers. Instead of being naturally embedded in the dialogue, those punchlines appear to contrast with the logical flow of narrative advertising. CMA also uses a technique of letting actors/actress directly speak to the camera. While traditional mid-roll advertising creates impressions by highlighting the punchline, CMA relies on the sense of unsettledness by breaking “the fourth wall.” The impact of breaking the fourth wall is also proven in previous research, which suggests that it could attract viewers’ attention (Auter & Davis, 1991; Risko, Richardson, & Kingstone, 2016).

There is a disconnection when the character promotes the product. They seem to tell a story at first, but bring out the product in a dramatic way, which give a great visual impact. So I remember it no matter whether I like it. (Participant 06, female, 41 years old, public services)

The way of shooting this advertising is smart … although its settings, characters, and costumes are similar to the TV series based on ancient times, it promotes the product in a modern way with modern language. This kind of contrast is impressive. It makes people feel interested. (Participant 08, female, 51 years old, financial)

In addition, for some special TV series genre which bases its story on ancient China, using the character to promote a modern item can also create a contrast between the advertised product and the context (i.e. the TV series). For instance, one of the three clips used in this study selected from a TV series, which tells a story in China that takes place between 220 AD and 280 AD, but the promoted product, which is lactose free milk, is placed within a fine glass. Once the character dressed in ancient costume shows up with a glass of milk, consumers can feel the contrast between modern and ancient times. And according to the participants, this kind of contrast can also raise their interest in watching the advertising or impress them with the content:

It (the CMA embedded in the show) makes me remember it because it tells a story first, which intrigues my interest to finish watching it, and then the character in the story directly introduces this product to me, so it is interesting. (Participant 12, male, 27 years old, game)

The other type of contrast involves the product category and the tone of advertising. For products or brands that need to show trustworthiness, it seems improper to use CMA to advertise the product. Because CMA usually uses a humorous or dramatic tone, it contrasts with the brand image of a financial product, making the product or the brand seem less “professional.” I still think this (CMA) cannot be used to advertise financial products. It is too humorous and there is not much information about the credentials of the products, so I don’t think it is better than the former one (traditional mid-roll advertising). That kind of advertising looks more professional, and it feels more trust-worthy. (Participant 17, female, 24 years old, public services)

While traditional mid-roll advertising interrupts the watching experience, CMA may enhance it. While traditional mid-roll advertising is designed to attract attention by interrupting the watching experience (Li & Lo, 2015), CMA does not necessarily interrupt consumers. Although CMA still temporarily stops consumers from viewing the original video content, it plays at a specific time that eases the sense of interruption or even enhances the watching experience:

This kind of advertising (CMA) is less aggressive; it does not interrupt me from viewing the story. The other kind (traditional mid-roll advertising) is more aggressive. (Participant 08, female, 51 years old, financial)

This advertising does not greatly interfere with the atmosphere of the show. Also the plot of this clip is in a tense moment, and it’s not good for you to be tense through the entire story. It makes me relax a bit. And after it, I am excited again. (Participant 01, female, 23 years old, medical)

Since TV series are also made of countless shots and scenes, it seems that a video clip that contains similar visual elements like actors and background settings can make it seem like the advertising “belongs” to the TV series, which contributes to fewer interruptions. And when the “disconnection” of advertising and context let consumers switch their state of mind, it could allow consumers to jump out of the intense virtual world and relax:

This advertising has a sense of “belonging,” By “belonging” I mean you don’t feel it like an advertisement. At least in the first few seconds. That makes me feel that the advertising belongs to the TV series. (Participant 11, female, 22 years old, game)

Consumers get directly rewarded by watching the advertising

Consumers are tolerant of mid-roll advertising because they can watch video contents online without incurring any cost. Their attention acts as a currency for free video contents from video streaming websites (Teixeira, 2014). In fact, the exchange of attention and free content does not occur simultaneously. Consumers need to wait for the advertising to finish until they can access the next clips of free video content. As mentioned in the previous findings, consumers find CMA meaningful not only because it provides product information, but also because it entertains them with its content. When consumers are watching TV series, their needs might be the pursuit of entertainment, and by providing humorous or dramatic contents, CMA satisfies the consumers’ needs by itself. Since CMA provides meaning on its own, it seems that consumers get directly rewarded by paying attention, which indicates that CMA is not just advertising that consumers see as a part of gaining access to for free video contents, but that it provides value as its own.

I like this kind of advertising (CMA). It is interesting; I feel it reveals the other side of the characters in the show. (Participant 10, female, 24 years old, media)

Because when I watch TV series, I need a story, if the advertising can appear to be a story by that time, I would find it interesting. Because it satisfies my need for a story. (Participant 12, male, 27 years old, game)