Marketers know that pre-roll advertising on YouTube is a good way to attract viewers. The problem is, how can you guarantee that people won’t just swiftly migrate to the “Skip Ad” button?

In a new ad spot that debuted late last week, furniture retailer Leon’s offers a tempting incentive to get people to view the whole ad.

Working with media buying agency OMD, the creative (designed by BIMM, Leon’s new creative AOR) lets users know immediately that they have a reason not to hit the “skip” button – they’ll be rewarded with access to a 10% discount for online purchases.

While the ad has the short-term goal of driving more shoppers to Leon’s online store, the spot is part of a broader and ongoing campaign by Leon’s which was launched last month via the brand’s “Surprisingly Stylish” campaign.

The campaign is part of an effort to build more brand equity with the maturing millennial demographic looking to graduate out of their “first apartment” furniture. While creative is playing a part in that, brand-building and sale-focused marketing is a major part of that strategy, according to the company. Leon’s has always had brand equity with an older demographic, but the campaign is part of an effort to bring a new cohort into its consumer base.

According to a 2018 Magna Global study, Canadians have a skip rate of 52% for ads and typically view ad content for 7.6 seconds before hitting the “skip” button.