A multimedia framework for personalized, non-intrusive advertising in video streaming

Abstract Traditional advertising is becoming increasingly ineffective as viewers actively avoid interruptions by engaging with second screens. Product placement has emerged as a popular alternative, with investments growing by 170% over the past decade. However, conventional product placement lacks interactivity and real-time personalization, which can limit its effectiveness. This study explores a multimedia framework designed to shift advertising in video streaming from intrusive interruptions to a user-activated model. The proposed approach links personalized advertising messages to video content, aiming to offer a lightweight, scalable, and user-centric product placement mechanism. Instead of disruptive commercials, on-demand messages appear through overlay boxes only when requested by the viewer. By connecting ads at playing time rather than filming time, the framework has the potential to keep product information relevant beyond the original release of the video. From a technical perspective, it operates on the client side via JavaScript, minimizing server load. To assess initial user attitudes, we conducted a proof of concept and administered a questionnaire to 104 young adults. Statistical and cluster analyses indicated that 56.7% of respondents preferred the proposed product placement approach over conventional ads, and 45.2% expressed willingness to use the tool, including some initially skeptical participants. While these findings highlight the potential of non-intrusive, user-driven advertising models to enhance engagement, they should be interpreted with caution due to the small, demographically narrow sample and reliance on self-reported data. Future research in real-world streaming contexts and with more diverse populations is needed to validate these preliminary trends.