Before the skip option: impact of facial presence on video view completions

Abstract Studies suggest that creative choices related to facial absence (e.g., visual imagery) and facial presence (e.g., faces are in the scene) impact viewers’ engagement with media. However, studies offer conflicting advice. While some studies indicate facial absence enhances viewers’ engagement, other studies indicate facial presence enhances viewers’ engagement. These studies draw on a variety of theories to explain their findings. Should marketers emphasize facial presence in video advertising to enhance consumers’ engagement? What factors moderate the association between facial presence and consumers’ video advertising engagement? To examine the impact of facial presence and hedonic/utilitarian advertising contexts on viewers’ engagement we draw upon a large dataset of 3498 skippable digital video advertisements across 685 unique channels and 23 product categories. Across product categories, we find that a lesser percentage of facial presence before the skip option is associated with greater video view counts. Furthermore, we find that for utilitarian products, lesser facial presence before the skip option is associated with greater view counts and that for hedonic products facial presence is not significantly associated with qualified video views.