Effect of IG Stories Advertisement Length and Interaction Mode on Viewers' Emotion, Memory and Approach/Avoidance Response

Author : Chien Jung Lai

Abstract :Instagram Stories feature is known for its time-limited content. In the past, whether it was user generated content or advertisements from businesses, each Story video was limited to a maximum of 15 seconds, and any video exceeding this length would be trimmed. However, at the end of September 2022, Instagram introduced the “long-form Stories” feature, allowing users to post videos up to 60 seconds without being cut. The length of advertisements has always been a crucial factor in video advertising strategies. As the duration of videos increases, viewers may gradually lose interest and drop off. Additionally, interactive tools can be incorporated to make Story more engaging and dynamic. Therefore, on Instagram Stories advertisements, both interactivity and advertisement length are topics worthy of exploring. This study aims to investigate the effect of Instagram Stories advertisement length and interaction modes on viewers’ emotion, memory and approach/avoidance response towards the ads. The independent variables of the study are the Instagram Stories ad length and interaction modes. The ad length includes 15 seconds and 30 seconds, while the interaction modes are categorized into interactive and non-interactive. The interactive material used in conjunction is the “poll” feature. There are a total of four experimental combinations, with eight participants in each group, resulting in a total of 32 participants. To create a realistic Instagram Stories viewing experience, the study presented participants with a curated Story highlight, allowing them to click and watch freely. Around 45 seconds of regular user-generated Stories were inserted before and after each advertisement. After viewing the Stories in a laboratory setting, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire. The dependent variables include viewers’ emotion, memory and approach/avoidance response. The results showed that the length of the ad had a significant effect on memory and approach/avoidance responses. 30-second ads elicited higher cognitive memory, but participants were more inclined to avoid them compared to the 15-second ads. The interaction mode of the ad had a significant impact on emotion,

Keywords :Instagram Stories, interactivity, emotion, approach/avoidance behaviour

Conference Name :International Conference on Change and Innovation Management (ICCIM-25)

Conference Place Tokyo, Japan

Conference Date 25th Jul 2025