YouTube generated $36B in ad revenue in 2024
The 5-second skip button costs brands millions
Creating YouTube Ads That Engage
This website translates a full Master's research project into practical insights, revealing the creative and strategic techniques that make viewers choose to keep watching.
A Master's Final Major Project by Mohammad Feras Almhemed
University of West London
Selecting the right YouTube ad format aligns your product or service with the optimal viewer context.
The 5-second challenge. Viewers can skip after 5 seconds.
Strategy: Hook immediately, make every second work harder than the last, and earn the watch through emotion, intrigue, and momentum.
These ads play before or during a video and allow viewers to skip after 5 seconds. Because skipping is optional, brands must hook attention quickly. Skippable ads reward strong emotional openings and are ideal for storytelling, brand building, and longer narrative formats. Viewers only count as "engaged" when they choose to keep watching.
15-20 seconds of guaranteed attention.
Strategy: Respect their time. Tell a complete micro-story with emotional payoff.
These ads must be watched in full before the viewer can continue. They work best for short, high-impact messages where control of the full duration is important. Because viewers cannot skip, these ads rely more on clarity and strong creative craft than on emotional hooks, but poor execution can still create irritation.
Six-second non-skippable ads designed for fast, memorable storytelling.
Strategy: One idea, maximum clarity. Visual punch, memorable moment.
Bumper ads work as emotional teasers, reminders, or campaign amplifiers. They are ideal for delivering a single idea, a quick punchline, or a memorable visual that reinforces a broader campaign.
The research focuses on Skippable In-Stream ads, where viewers decide within seconds whether to stay or skip.
Interactive analysis of the viewers' responses about YouTube ad preferences and behaviour
Total Responses
101
Filtered Results
101
Most Common Skip Reason
Not interested
A combined analysis of quantitative behavioural data and qualitative viewer insights, supported by academic literature, that identifies the key drivers of ad-skipping, defines the 3 C's of engagement (Creative, Connection, Clarity), and establishes six evidence-based Stick Insights principles — forming the foundation for a framework designed to help create more engaging YouTube advertisements.
Three fundamental factors that transform an ad from skippable into engaging. Click on any factor to explore its components.
Aesthetic and narrative excellence.
Emotional or functional relevance.
Efficient message delivery.
Six research-backed insights that transform skippable ads into sticky content
You have 3 seconds to hook viewers before they skip. Lead with emotion, not explanation.
Emotion interrupts the automatic "skip reflex." Humour, empathy, awe, and surprise significantly increase voluntary viewing.
Humor that respects viewer context outperforms generic comedy. Make them laugh, not groan.
Real people, real stories, real emotions. Viewers spot fake from a mile away.
Hide the logo until viewers are invested. Let the story earn the right to brand.
Don't just show the product—make it the protagonist. Let it solve problems on screen.
Successful video content balances cognitive processing with emotional resonance. Research shows that combining rational information delivery with emotional storytelling creates stronger memory formation and brand recall than either approach alone.
Drive initial attention and create connection
Sustains engagement through meaningful content
Produces lasting memory and positive brand association
70% emotional, 30% cognitive in first 15 seconds
The Strategic Framework
Attract–Engage–Retain
A three-phase model for designing unskippable ad experiences
0–5 seconds: Capture attention before the skip button appears.
Goal: Capture attention before the skip button appears.
✔ What to DO
✘ What to AVOID
6–15 seconds: Sustain attention through narrative flow.
Goal: Sustain attention beyond the first 5 seconds through narrative flow.
✔ What to DO
✘ Avoid
16+ seconds: Deliver payoff and emotional closure.
Goal: Deliver payoff, brand meaning, and emotional closure.
✔ What to DO
✘ Avoid
| Phase | Goal | Tactics | Viewer Reaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attract | Stop the scroll | Shock, humor, intrigue | "Wait, what?" |
| Engage | Build investment | Story arc, curiosity | "I want to see how this ends" |
| Retain | Create memory | Payoff, brand reveal | "That was worth it" |
Attract with emotion → Engage with story → Retain with payoff
Strategic playbooks for different stakeholders and creative approaches to YouTube ad production
Planar approach to campaign planning
Creative execution and production tactics
Agency-level strategy and client management
Framework integration for academic teaching and research
The integration of strategic planning, creative excellence, and agency execution produces ads that achieve measurable viewer retention and reduce skip-through rates.
Interactive Ad ClinicGet an AI-powered academic critique of your ad concept using the Skip to Stick framework
Note: Critiques will be generated but not saved. To enable saving, configure Firebase Authentication (Anonymous) in your Firebase Console.
Analyzing your ad concept...
Stick Score
-/10
Recommendation
Real-world ads analyzed through the Skip to Stick framework. See how leading brands apply emotional hooks, narrative clarity, and strategic timing to create advertisements people choose to watch.
A mechanical version of "Thing" roams the streets of New York, surprising and entertaining passers-by as it interacts playfully with the public.
◆ Attract (Emotional Hook)
The unexpected sight of a crawling disembodied hand instantly grabs attention through surprise, humour and curiosity.
▲ Engage (Narrative Flow)
"Thing" follows a simple story arc — released, exploring the city, interacting with people, reaching iconic locations — keeping viewers interested beyond the first moments.
■ Retain (Memorability)
The stunt is unusual, fun and visually distinctive, making it highly memorable and strongly linked to the Wednesday brand.
The ad features a bottle of Coca‑Cola journeying through famous artworks and styles—from Warhol to Van Gogh to modern artists—transforming its style while inspiring a young student.
◆ Attract (Emotional Hook)
The visually striking transformation of the Coca-Cola bottle across iconic art styles grabs attention immediately through surprise and aesthetic curiosity.
▲ Engage (Narrative Flow)
The bottle's journey across different art pieces creates a mini-story of discovery and inspiration—sustaining interest past the first seconds.
■ Retain (Memorability)
The combination of iconic art references + brand + creative motion makes this ad highly memorable — viewers are likely to recall it rather than skip or forget.
In the "Hands" film, a single mechanical nut transforms into a wide range of Honda products over 65 years — from motorcycles and cars to robots — celebrating the brand's innovation history.
◆ Attract (Emotional Hook)
The transformation of a simple nut into dozens of recognisable vehicles and machines immediately grabs attention through novelty and visual intrigue.
▲ Engage (Narrative Flow)
The ad takes viewers on a journey of evolution and discovery — each object morphs into the next, maintaining curiosity and pacing.
■ Retain (Memorability)
The iconic visual metaphor plus the thread of innovation create strong recall, linking Honda's brand identity with creativity and engineering in a memorable way.
Structure your ad concept with the Skip to Stick framework
Download PDFSparkle Scene Idea GeneratorGenerate compelling scene ideas for unskippable YouTube ads using the Skip to Stick framework
Generating scene idea...
Framework-driven scene ideas designed to spark your team's brainstorming process.
The research explores how emotional triggers, narrative structure, and authenticity influence viewers' decisions to skip or continue watching skippable YouTube ads.
Through surveys, focus groups, and analysis of real campaigns, the dissertation develops a practical framework — Attract, Engage, Retain — that is translated into the tools and content on this website.
The goal is simple: help brands move from interrupting people to engaging them.
Mohammad Feras Almhemed - MA Advertising, Branding and Communication
Advertising Planner & Strategist
MA Advertising, Branding and Communication
University of West London
MBA Bournemouth University
With over two decades of experience in broadcast systems and media environments, Mohammad brings a hybrid perspective that connects technical understanding of video with the creative and strategic side of advertising.
This project represents a pivot into strategic planning – using research, behavioural insight, and emotional storytelling to design better digital campaigns.
Mixed-methods research approach combining surveys and interviews
This project was developed using a mixed-methods research approach, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Data was collected from a diverse sample of YouTube users to analyse skipping behaviour, emotional reactions, and recall patterns across different ad formats and creative styles.
In addition to primary data, extensive secondary research was conducted using relevant academic literature, published books, and industry reports to strengthen the theoretical foundation of the study.
The proposed Skip-to-Stick framework was refined and validated through iterative testing with advertising professionals, industry practitioners, and academic peer reviewers, ensuring both practical relevance and academic rigour.
University ethics approval with full data anonymization
All research was conducted under University of West London ethical guidelines with full institutional review board approval.
Participants provided informed consent, and all data has been anonymized. No personally identifiable information is stored or displayed in this presentation.
The AI features in this site are for demonstration purposes and do not collect or retain user submissions beyond the current session.
Academic sources and key publications
Get in touch to collaborate and explore opportunities
Interested in using this framework in teaching, campaign planning, or further research? Get in touch to collaborate, discuss the findings, or explore workshop opportunities.
Name: Mohammad Feras Almhemed
Email: feras@rgbsys.co.uk
Access the complete research documentation:
Please send a request email to feras@rgbsys.co.uk to receive the full research document.