A Conditional Mediation Analysis of Ad Value Moderated by Time Spent on YouTube

Abstract

Social media usage has increased significantly in the last few years due to its easy access and low cost. Besides other social media forums, YouTube usage worldwide has also increased profoundly. A recent decline in the number of advertisements on YouTube has led to YouTube skepticism about its full-fledged operations in Pakistan. Also, many firms in Pakistan have reduced their advertisement budgets on YouTube. Given its importance, the study has examined the factors affecting YouTube ad avoidance. The study also examined the mediating role of ad value and the moderating role of time spent on YouTube. In addition, the study has also examined the conditional indirect effect of time spent on YouTube. We collected data based on an e-questionnaire, in which 457 participants completed the questionnaires. Our study found that perceived ad irritation (PAIR) and perceived ad goal impediment (PAGI) positively affect perceived ad avoidance (PAAV). The study also documents that perceived ad information (PAIN) and perceived Ad entertainment (PAEN) insignificantly affect perceived ad avoidance (PAAV). The study proposed four mediating hypotheses, and we found support for only one hypothesis, stating that perceived ad avoidance (PAAV) mediates perceived ad goal impediment (PAGI) and perceived ad avoidance (PAAV). However, the study found time spent on YouTube (TSOY) moderates perceived ad value (PAVL) and perceived ad avoidance (PAAV). We also found that the time spent on YouTube’s conditional mediation Index (CoMe Index) is statistically significant.