THE ATTITUDES OF SLOVAK DIGITAL NATIVE STUDENTS TOWARDS ONLINE VIDEO ADVERTISING

The proliferation of video ads has drawn the attention of both researchers and practitioners. Academic research is expected to provide a deeper understanding of factors driving the irritation of users from online video ads and factors possibly reducing their general reluctance towards subscribing to premium video services. This study responds to these calls by analysing the attitudes of Slovak digital natives towards online video advertising. Through quantitative research on a sample of 137 Slovak university students, it examines their knowledge of and preferences regarding various video advertising formats, the use of ad blockers, and the attitudes towards paid services enabling ad-free consumption of video content. The results have revealed that these users prefer skippable ads; however, they would rather be exposed to one longer non- skippable video ad than three shorter skippable ads. Most of them know that the income from ad sales is crucial for maintaining the revenue stream for social media platforms and content publishers. However, at the same time, most of them are using ad blockers and refuse to pay for ad-free content. The results of this study foster a deeper understanding of the attitudes of digital natives towards online video ads and associated matters. Based on the knowledge provided, media and advertisers can tailor their advertising strategies to reflect the preferences and behaviour of this prospective consumer group.