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Advertising is everywhere and completely unavoidable. It’s a part of life that we’ve fully accepted — yet it’s also one of the biggest sources of frustration for today’s content consumers.
The disconnect shows up clearly in the data. Ninety percent of viewers skip ads (Media Post 2016) when they have the option to. Eighty-six percent say they feel frustrated and fatigued by being constantly inundated with ads interrupting the content they’ve chosen and customized (MediaCat 2023). Seventy percent find intrusive ads annoying (MarketingProfs 2019), and it’s not just a pesky feeling — seventy-one percent say that this intrusive annoyance makes them less likely to purchase from a brand (Research Live 2023).
This is the paradox. Streaming services, social media platforms, and digital publishers depend on advertising for revenue — yet advertising has become a universal point of friction between them and their audiences. The systems in place rely on advertising, and that’s not going anywhere — but the way we advertise has to evolve.
With younger generations raised on customizable streaming and skippable ads, the way media is consumed has changed completely. This mismatch has led to eroding patience. Viewers don’t have the same tolerance for ad loads that they once did.
Audiences are fleeing linear TV for streaming services that offer significantly lighter ad loads and more control over what they watch. But these platforms can’t produce the same revenue they once did. In response, many cram as many ads as possible into shorter breaks — only fueling the same cycle of frustration that drove audiences away in the first place.
It’s the core dilemma marketers face: they know they need to advertise, and they also know that audiences are increasingly annoyed by their ads. Every year, roughly $72 billion is spent on video advertising that viewers skip, block, or ignore (Statista 2024). The industry continues to chase impressions even as attention declines.
Platforms understand the reliance on ads, but they also recognize the growing frustration. That’s why “forced ad view” formats — like unskippable pre-rolls or mid-rolls — have become common. While these tactics increase brand recall in the short term, they also damage trust and amplify resentment (x).
Still, the issue isn’t that ads exist — it’s that they disrupt. One second of exposure can drive recall, but the experience surrounding that exposure determines whether it builds connection or irritation. People love Super Bowl ads because they’re creative, memorable, and integrated into an event they’ve chosen to watch. It’s proof that advertising can work when it feels like part of the experience rather than an interruption of it.
Short-term gains from brand recall are irrelevant when you consider the long-term damage caused by negative brand associations. Viewers don’t trust companies that annoy them. When people skip ads, advertisers aren’t just missing views or impressions — they’re losing potential customers.
In fact, 71 percent of consumers say they avoid purchasing from brands that irritate them with ads (ResearchLive 2023). That frustration translates directly into lost trust, lost engagement, and lost revenue.
Money is being wasted. The question isn’t whether advertisers should spend — it’s how to spend smarter. How can we invest in ad experiences that audiences actually want to watch and enjoy?
Ads are still designed for passive viewing, even though audiences now actively choose the content they consume. Despite massive evolution across every part of the advertising ecosystem — targeting, measurement, personalization, and distribution — the ad format itself has barely changed in the past twenty years.
The only adaptation has been shorter hooks and faster pacing — quick tricks to capture attention before a viewer hits “skip.” But the structure, delivery, and interruption model remain largely the same.
In the past, the technology simply didn’t exist to support new creative formats. Even now, barriers to innovation persist — from industry inertia to the deep reliance on the traditional 30-second slot, which still anchors most video ad buying. Many see changing it as a logistical nightmare.
But the truth is, that slot doesn’t have to disappear — it just has to evolve. The problem isn’t the length of the ad; it’s the way it’s delivered. For too long, the goal has been to create more impressions rather than better ones. Until the medium itself evolves, even the best creative ideas will keep missing their mark.
The solution needs to balance the needs of advertisers, platforms, consumers, and content creators. Advertising isn’t disappearing — it’s the foundation of the entire media ecosystem — but the way it shows up has to evolve.
New ad formats should do more than just reach the right audience; they should engage them in the same way that content itself engages them. The goal is to make ads additive to the viewing experience rather than disruptive to it.
We don’t need to eliminate the 30-second ad slot — we just need to use it differently. The same inventory can acknowledge viewers’ autonomy, appear within the content they’ve chosen, and align with how they actually watch today. The format itself can be adjusted, as well as the source of what goes into it.
This new equilibrium recognizes that attention is a choice. When ads respect that choice — instead of forcing it — everyone in the ecosystem benefits.
If the old ad model was about interruption, the new one is about integration. The solution isn’t to get rid of ads — it’s to design them to fit naturally into how people actually watch. The goal is simple: ads that meet viewers where they already are, not ones that force them to stop what they’re doing. You don’t need to increase ad load to increase the opportunity to deliver a message.
Pause ads, squeezebacks, and in-content placements are all examples of formats that work with the viewing experience instead of against it. They keep the balance between visibility and enjoyment — brands stay present, but viewers stay in control.
Pause ads appear when someone stops their show or video. It’s a moment the viewer creates, not the platform. The ad shows up naturally, during a break the person already took, so there’s no disruption — just a subtle, relevant reminder.
Squeezeback ads share the screen instead of taking it over. They keep the content playing while the brand message quietly lives alongside it. It’s not intrusive; it’s ambient. These formats still drive recall but avoid irritation.
Then there are in-content ads — products or signage placed seamlessly inside scenes. They’re not separate from the story; they’re part of it. This is where technology finally catches up to creativity, allowing brands to exist inside the moment instead of interrupting it.
And the best part? These formats don’t just make viewing better — they make advertising work better. Campaigns that use integrated placements see higher awareness, stronger brand favorability, and real lifts in purchase intent. When people actually like what they’re watching, they’re far more likely to remember who was part of it.
These innovations prove that we don’t have to choose between experience and effectiveness. When ads are designed to blend in instead of break in, everyone — viewers, advertisers, platforms, and creators — wins.
The future of video advertising won’t depend on forcing attention — it’ll depend on earning it. Viewers have more control than ever before, and they’re not giving it back. The ads that survive will be the ones that feel natural, relevant, and worth watching.
Technology has finally caught up to creativity. We now have the tools to make advertising contextual, dynamic, and seamlessly integrated into the content itself. That opens the door for storytelling and strategy to actually work together — not compete for space.
For advertisers, this means shifting from chasing impressions to designing experiences. For platforms, it means realizing that protecting viewer experience protects long-term revenue. And for creators, it means having new ways to collaborate with brands without sacrificing authenticity.
The next phase of video advertising is not about more ads — it’s about better ones. Ads that earn attention, build trust, and respect the audience’s choice to be there. Because the truth is, people don’t hate advertising — they just hate feeling interrupted.
When ads feel like part of the story instead of a break from it, everyone wins.
Advertising isn’t the enemy — bad ad experiences are. The system doesn’t need fewer ads; it needs smarter ones. When ads are designed to respect attention, complement storytelling, and acknowledge the viewer’s autonomy, they stop feeling like interruptions and start feeling like part of the experience.
The future of advertising isn’t about grabbing attention for 30 seconds — it’s about earning trust in every second that counts.
Check out the full research paper as it is available at Slideshare HERE.
