Ephemeral Advertising and Consumer Engagement: The Impact of Short-Lived Digital Ads on Purchase Intentions in Gen Z

Abstract

In recent years, ephemeral digital advertisements designed to disappear within 24 hours have emerged as a prominent marketing strategy on platforms such as Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and WhatsApp Status. Despite its growing adoption by brands, academic research on its effectiveness remains limited. This study aims to explore the impact of ephemeral advertising on consumer engagement, brand recall, and purchase intentions, with a specific focus on Generation Z consumers. The research examines whether the time-limited nature of such ads creates heightened urgency and fosters impulse buying compared to persistent digital advertisements. Using an experimental design, participants aged 18–25 will be exposed to both ephemeral and persistent ad formats, followed by surveys measuring recall accuracy, engagement levels, and purchase likelihood. Statistical analyses will identify significant differences between the two formats and investigate the moderating role of interactivity features such as polls, swipe-ups, and reactions. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights for marketers on optimizing ad formats to enhance campaign effectiveness, while contributing to the limited scholarly literature on short-lived digital advertising.

Introduction

The advertising industry is undergoing a major transformation driven by digital technology, evolving consumer behavior, and social media growth. Traditional formats like TV ads and print media are losing effectiveness in an age of short attention spans and content overload. In response, brands are shifting to interactive, immersive, and time-sensitive strategies, particularly ephemeral advertising—short-lived content that disappears within 24 hours.

Ephemeral Advertising: Key Characteristics

• Popularized by: Snapchat, later adopted by Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, WhatsApp Status.

• Psychological appeal: Creates urgency and exclusivity through scarcity and time limits.

• Consumer fit: Aligns with fast-paced digital lifestyles and mobile social media usage.

Impact and Adoption

• Global trend: Over half of Instagram users engage with Stories daily.

• India: Rapid digital adoption and 500+ million social media users have made India a fertile ground for ephemeral ads. Sectors like fashion, food, and fintech are actively using this format.

• Gen Z focus: Digital natives prefer short, authentic, visually engaging content. Ephemeral ads offer emotional resonance and real-time interaction, strengthening brand connection.

Marketing Implications

• Shifts advertising from a one-way message to a two-way dialogue, involving consumer participation, feedback, and even co-creation.

• Interactive tools (polls, swipe-ups, AR, live streams) blur the line between ad and engagement.

• Emphasis is now on quality of interaction over reach, especially in mobile-first markets like India.

Academic Gaps and Research Focus

• Despite its widespread use, ephemeral advertising is underexplored in academic literature.

• Questions remain about its impact on brand recall, purchase intent, and consumer engagement.

• This study proposes an experimental approach comparing ephemeral and persistent formats to evaluate their effectiveness among Gen Z, analyzing recall, emotional response, and behavior.

Generational Insights

• Generation Z (1997–2012): Tech-savvy, socially conscious, prefer authentic, interactive content. High users of ephemeral formats.

• Millennials (1981–1996): Value authenticity, experiences, social responsibility. Use a mix of traditional and digital media and expect personalized, omnichannel interactions.

Literature Review Highlights

• Scarcity and FoMO theories support ephemeral content’s urgency and engagement (Cialdini, Przybylski).

• Interactivity studies show that user control boosts brand favorability (Liu, McMillan).

• Instagram/Facebook case studies confirm high ad performance through interactive stories.

• However, limited empirical research exists comparing ephemeral vs. persistent ads, especially in influencing Gen Z’s engagement and decision-making.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Rachana Neel Shah. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.