A Comparative Study of Long Versus Short Video Advertisements on Social Media and Their Impact on Consumer Purchase Intention

Abstract

Video marketing is becoming an increasingly popular strategy among marketers for promoting businesses on social media, as users now spend more time watching videos than reading text. Advertising a business using videos effectively captures consumers’ attention. However, few studies have examined the influence of video length on consumers’ engagement and purchase intention. Understanding the role of video length on the influence of consumers’ purchase intention has become a key challenge for businesses seeking to optimize their marketing efforts. The study develops a research model grounded on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Stimulus-Organism-Response Model (SOR) to investigate the impact of video length, comparing long versus short mobile video advertisements, on consumers’ purchase intention. The study considers the impact of video length on brand image, brand recall, perceived informativeness, perceived entertainment, and flow state. The research methodology involves a questionnaire featuring two video ads: a long video of 1 minute and 17 seconds (Video A), and a short video of 15 seconds. Participants were asked to choose between the two videos. The questionnaire primarily consists of closed-ended questions, including 8 multi-item Likert scales, and one open-ended question. A convenience sampling is employed, resulting in a total of 176 valid responses used for statistical analysis and hypotheses testing. The results reveal that video length significantly influences perceived informativeness, perceived entertainment, and flow state. Longer mobile video advertisements are associated with lower perceived informativeness, higher perceived entertainment, and a greater flow state. However, video length does not significantly impact brand image, brand recall, and purchase intention. Participants maintained a positive image of the brand and recalled the brand name in both scenarios. The thesis concludes by discussing the managerial and academic implications of the findings, while acknowledging the study’s limitations, and providing suggestions for future research.