Using an experimental tool that tracks viewers’ real-time ad-skipping behavior, the current research tested when and why a highly arousing emotional appeal ad that induces a set of complex discrete emotions can reduce the ad-skipping rate on social media platforms such as YouTube. Across three experiments, we showed the following results. First, the ad-skipping rate of emotional appeal ads was lower among consumers who had the goal of watching emotional (versus informational) videos. Second, ad-elicited empathy mediated this effect. Third, the effects of the emotional appeal ad on ad-skipping behaviors were contingent upon consumers’ predisposition to approach emotional experiences. Among consumers who were seeking emotional experiences, higher levels of empathy resulted in lower ad-skipping rates and longer ad-viewing duration when the emotional appeal of the ad matched with the emotional goal of video watching; in contrast, among consumers who were not seeking emotional experiences, the opposite effect was found.
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