Commercial lengths

Advertisers have debated the pros and cons of using different lengths of commercial messages for decades. This debate has largely been fueled by rising media costs.

During the 1950s, the standard TV commercial length was 60 seconds. But then media inflation surfaced and the 60-second spot was forced to contract. Shortly after came the birth of the 15-second spot. Spots that are shorter than 30 seconds can benefit from having a surprise effect and are often over before viewers can avoid them. Today's media mix can support anything a creative mind can dream up. But no matter what length of commercial an advertiser decides to use, the goal is to make a meaningful impression on the audience and to make the brand real, or wholly present in the mind of the consumer.

5- and 10-second commercials:

Pros

• Over before audiences can avoid them
• Still long enough to make a brand impression
• A good way to support campaigns already airing longer TV spots
• Can run with lots of frequency across multiple stations and networks
• Budget friendly
• Reach large consumer audiences for less than the cost of a :30
• Recall averages of :10s can be 78% as effective as :30s

Con

• May be too short to be effective

15-second commercials:

Pros

• Media cost of 60-80% of a 30-second ad
• Roughly 80% as effective in terms of recall and likeability as a 30-second ad (Journal of Advertising Research, March 2010)
• For branding, the performance of a 15-second spot is equal to that of a 30
• Can be 80% as effective in terms of recall (Journal of Advertising Research, March 2010)
• Greater dollar value than a 30-second spot in terms of recall and persuasion
• More focused and rational in execution (i.e. more product information)
• Good for easy-to-explain messages and campaigns
• Suited to modern attention spans
• Great for products that already have high brand awareness
• Good for quick product demonstrations
• Can air with more frequency
• Long enough to be noticed even in fast-forward mode
• More shareable; 15-second social video ads are shared 37% more often than 30-second or one-minute ads. (BizReport) 

Cons

• Not all brand stories can be told in 15 seconds
• Can be difficult to convey complex propositions and emotions
• Not suited to image-shaping campaigns
• Lower probability of gaining viewers' attention
• Spots with lots of visual clutter may have reduced effectiveness
• Half the time to convey a marketing message vs. the more popular 30-second spot

30-second TV commercials:

Pros

• More time to tell a complete brand story
• Better for brand building campaigns
• Good for humorous campaigns
• Viewers prefer longer ads
• 75-80% the recall of 60-second spots (TV Dimensions 2008)
• Less expensive than 60s
• Spots that use entertaining elements of humour, cute and kids earn higher recall
• More memorable that its shorter in length counterparts

Cons

• Format may be longer than needed for campaigns that have simple messages and limited budgets

60-second TV commercials and longer:

Pros

• Higher recall than 30-second spots
• Plenty of time to tell a brand story and build persuasion
• Longer messages allow viewers time to understand, empathize with, and like the commercial

Cons

• Can be too long for some products and messages

More insight into commercial lengths...

According to the Adtrack system in South Africa (Admap July/August 1995) ad awareness varies based on commercial length and likeability. Ad awareness increases with the length of the commercial while increased likeability also lends itself to increased ad awareness. Frequency also raises ad awareness for different lengths of commercials based on varying GRPs. By increasing the number of GRPs for a shorter commercial, ad awareness increases. Although longer commercials tend to increase ad awareness, the same ad awareness can be achieved simply by increasing the frequency of the commercial.

Various studies done over the years show that based on ad-recall, the 30-second spot is a cost effective alternative to using a 60-second spot. Early ad impact studies have shown that 30-second spots generate up to 75-80% of the recall ability that 60s spots do, but at half the cost. Similarly, it has been shown that 15s spots have a 75% recall rate compared to 30s spots. (TV Dimensions 2008)

Another study featured in the Journal of Advertising Research August/September 1991 showed that overall, 30s spots are 20% more effective than 15s spots (based on measures of brand recall, brand attitude and perceived number of commercial minutes in a segment). It is important to note that in a situation where the cost for a 15s spot is greater than 80% of the cost for a 30s spot, then the budget should favour 30s commercials. On the other hand, if the cost of a 15s spot is less than 80% of the cost of a 30s commercial then, more of the budget should be allocated to 15s spots.

Based on research conducted by the Association of National Advertisers (1990), "bookends" where two 15s commercials are split by other commercials in a pod are as just as effective or even more effective than one 30s spot. Shorter spots can be superior to longer ones when the message is simple, short and easy to convey, whereas a longer spot may be in order when conveying product benefits, features or promoting a new line.

A study conducted by Leger Marketing (2005) indicated that Canadians prefer their commercial messages short and to the point. When it comes to TV advertising, here is what Canadian viewers think is the most effective:

- Short ads less than 30s: 26%
- Longer ads that run for a minute: 15%
- Showing the product immediately at the beginning of the ad: 31%
- Waiting until the end of the ad to show the product: 20%
- Showing an ad just once during a show: 26%
- Showing an ad several times during a show: 19%

In another study featured in the Journal of Marketing Research (February 1993), it was found that informational 15s and 30s ads do not differ significantly when it comes to learning product claims and other attitudinal variables. In this case a 15s spot at 60% of the cost of an informational 30s spot is considered a good buy. It was also found that emotional 15s spots are 80% as effective as emotional 30s commercials for attitudinal variables.

Related articles:

1)  10 Second Commercial Effectiveness

2)  10 Second Articles

3)  An advertising Burst is Just a Lot of Drips

4)  Commercial length articles

5)  The Effects of Length, Content and Repetition on Commercial Effectiveness

6)  Why TV Spot Length Matters

7) The Relative Effectiveness of 15- and 30-Second Television Advertisements