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

Abstract

This study examined a new emerging advertising format (Creative Mid-Roll Advertising) in Chinese online video platforms through the eyes of consumers in order to give advertising scholars and practitioners a better understanding on how consumers perceive creative contents and formats of advertising in the era of new media. Creative Mid-Roll Advertising is a short video advertising embedded in the online TV series, and it is created in a way that makes it appear very similar to the drama in terms of the content and setting. In all, 20 in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data. Findings revealed that Creative Mid-Roll Advertising is characterized by mid-roll, native, explicit, and dramatic.