INTRODUCTION Advertisement choice is a marketing tool that allows online users to select the type of content to watch during a commercial break. This choice has not been used on other persuasive messages like Public Service Announcements (PSAs). Various cognitive and attitudinal benefits emerge when viewers are given this opportunity (Nettelhorst & Brannon, 2012a; 2012b; Schlosser & Shavitt, 2009). These studies forced viewers to watch the entire advertisement. Television viewers engage in a variety of advertisement avoidance behaviors (Bellman, Schweda, & Varan, 2010). Skipping behavior is one notable example of advertisement avoidance. Skipping occurs when an online viewer selects the “Skip Ad” button while the advertisement is playing. The number of viewers that skip advertisements range from 30-65% (Fisher, 2011; Liebeskind, 2011). Multiple cognitive deficiencies emerge when viewers engage in skipping behavior (Bellman et al., 2010). Irrelevancy and a lack of desirable content are two reasons why viewers avoid (Wilbur, 2008). Desirability of content can be increased by including attractive actors in advertisement (O’Donohoe, 1994). The present research explores whether choice and/or attractiveness affect rates of skipping behavior in both advertisements and PSAs. METHOD HYPOTHESES SKIP AD BUTTON The Effect of Advertisement Choice on Online Skipping Behavior Stephen Nettelhorst, Tusculum College Laura Brannon, Kansas State University RESEARCH QUESTIONS Does choosing the content of an advertisement decrease the occurrence of skipping behavior? Does skipping decrease when the actors are attractive? Does the type of communication moderate the effects of choice and attractiveness on skipping? H1: Participants who make a choice of advertisement content will have lower rates of skipping than participants who do not make a choice. H2: Participants who watch an advertisement with attractive actors will have lower rates of skipping than participants who watch an advertisement with less attractive actors. H3: The effects of choice and attractiveness on skipping will be larger for an advertisement than a PSA. Two hundred seventy-seven introductory psychology students from Kansas State University participated. Majority were female (55%) and Caucasian (80%). The average age was 19 yrs (SD = 1.25). IV 1 : Advertisement choice: Present or absent IV 2 : Message type: MP3 commercial or Binge drinking PSA Choice for MP3 condition: MP3 or digital camera Choice for PSA: Binge drinking or Animal abuse IV 3 : Actor attractiveness: High or low Pre-test (n = 39) showed successful manipulation using 7-point Likert item, t(37) = 2.67, p =.011, d =.98. High: (M = 4.95, SD = 0.89); Low: (M = 4.30, SD = 0.66). DV: Skipping behavior: Yes or No Proportion of participants that click on “Skip Ad” button. Higher scores represented more skipping behavior. DISCUSSION Hypotheses 1-3 were not supported. Advertisement choice does not reduce skipping behavior. May only affect viewers in forced exposure conditions. May increase viewers’ expectations of message. Expectations may increase due to increased investments from viewers. Skipping may decrease when expectations are met. Skipping may increase when expectations are not met. ADVERTISEMENT CHOICE RESULTS TABLE 1 PROCEDURE Participants saw 7:12 min clip of Daily Show with Jon Stewart Participants were given advertisement choice or immediately shown persuasive message. Participants saw MP3 advertisement or binge drinking PSA Both were 30 sec Participants saw 9 min clip of Rome documentary. Hypotheses were tested using 2 X 2 X 2 logistic regression. No significant main effects of advertisement choice, message type, or actor attractiveness were found on skipping behavior. No significant two-way interactions between the factors were found on skipping behavior. Significant three-way interaction of choice, type, and attractiveness affected skipping behavior, b = -2.77, Exp(b) = 0.06, Wald χ2(1) = 4.13, p =.042. No interaction of choice and type for high attractiveness, b = -0.37, Exp(b) = 0.69, Wald χ2(1) = 0.16, p =.689. Significant interaction of choice and type of low attractiveness, b = 1.99, Exp(b) = 7.31, Wald χ2(1) = 4.69, p =.030. No effect of type when a choice was not given, b = -0.54, Exp(b) = 0.58, Wald χ2(1) = 0.96, p =.328. Significant effect of type when choice was given, b = 1.45, Exp(b) = 4.27, Wald χ2(1) = 3.90, p =.048. Skipping was roughly 3 times higher for MP3 (P =.299) than binge drinking message (P =.101) (see Table 1). Interaction of Advertisement Choice, Actor Attractiveness, and Advertisement Type on Skipping Behavior Advertisement Type Advertisement ChoiceActor AttractivenessBingeMP3 NoLow High YesLow High Note. Values indicate the probability (chance) that a participant will skip the target advertisement. Higher values represent a greater likelihood of skipping.