TV strategy: The optimal TV ad length
Daren Poole
Admap
December 2014
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TV strategy: The optimal TV ad length
Daren Poole
Admap
December 2014
TV strategy: The optimal TV ad length
Daren Poole
Millward Brown
Short ads are efficient in simple message communication and in stimulating memories, but longer ads engage
more and create emotional association with the brand.
TV strategy
This article is part of a collection of pieces on perfecting TV advertising strategy. Read more.
As video explodes across platforms and devices, brands are increasingly exploring the extremes of ad length on TV. Millward
Brown is testing significantly fewer 30-second TV ads and many more 15-second TV ads than it was in the 1990s. Thirtysecond ads may still make up the bulk of the spots we see, but more clients are now investing in epic 60-second event spots
and shorter 15-second messages.
This offers brands new opportunities: longer ads offer a greater creative canvas and the chance to tell more engaging stories,
while shorter ads can offer a cost-effective way to reach consumers, albeit at the expense of complex messaging.
But when should each be used and what does each time-length actually deliver? And how do they sit alongside what is still the
most popular time-length, the 30-second spot?
Our analysis of more than 132,000 TV copy test results reveals that, in general terms, all ad lengths can be equally efficient at
generating brand-linked memorability and delivering primary messages.
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2 Shorter ads may offer some cost efficiencies in terms of persuasion, since the same money will generate more exposures.
However, shorter ads are also likely to be less effective against complex advertising objectives.
Ultimately, what works best for your brand depends on what you are trying to achieve. Most of the ad performance measures
we gather show little difference across ad lengths. Impact, enjoyment, emotional response and persuasion are accomplished
equally well by long and short ads.
Millward Brown measures an ad's impact – also known as branded memorability – using the Awareness Index. We observe a
wide range of Awareness Indices for all different ad lengths, so if your key objective is to generate impact, there is no
automatic reason to choose a particular ad length.
On average, however, longer ads tend to have greater impact than shorter ads; the downside is that they also cost more to air.
Using 30-second equivalent GRPs allows us to factor the spend implications and, once this is done, there is no real difference
in the impact of ads across different ad lengths.
When it comes to persuasion, all time lengths are comparable in terms of their persuasive power per exposure. This means
that if a 15-second ad is as persuasive as a longer ad, it is likely to be more effective in the market because it will get a higher
number of exposures and achieve greater reach in the same amount of airtime.
So, it may be advantageous to use shorter ads if the objective is persuasion and you can condense the creative message into
a shorter time length.
Our measures for enjoyment show a wide range of enjoyment scores for all ad lengths. The average is similar across all
lengths, except among the very shortest ads, which achieve a slightly lower enjoyment.
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3 Coca-Cola: Analysis of its campaigns found that longer-form messages provide a powerful platform that develop and
enhance emotional associations
There is also very little difference in overall positive or negative emotion with regard to ad length, although, as with the other
measures, there is a wide range of performance.
Brand objectives
If all that sounds like it doesn't matter what ad length you use – and shorter ads are, of course, cheaper to run – then don't be
fooled, because brand objectives give a much clearer idea of what longer lengths bring.
There are two key areas where short ads may be at a disadvantage in relation to long ads, and these are message
communication and involvement.
Primary message communication is as strong among short ads as among longer ones. Variation on this measure is due to an
ad's creative power, not its length. So, for putting across a single message, a short ad may work well. However, a 15-second
ad can't support the same number of additional messages as a 30-second ad and particularly not the number of messages you
can include in a 60-second ad.
The bottom line: a short ad is not as well-suited as a longer one when the communication objectives are complex.
The second area where longer ads deliver better is involvement. This is harder to achieve in shorter ads. On average, 15second ads are slightly less involving than longer ads, reflecting the fact that the ad holds the viewer's attention for less time,
and has less time in which to engage the viewer's interest.
Longer ads are more likely to be described as interesting, involving, unique, or distinctive. However, there is a wide range of
involvement scores for all ad lengths, so it is possible for a great shorter ad to get a good score.
Bringing cut-downs into the mix
Even where brands decide that it is appropriate to run a longer ad, they won't use the longer length in every slot, so cut-downs
are a critical element of every media plan. An analysis of examples where both full-length and cut-down versions of an ad have
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4 been
aired shows that cut-down ads receive similar endorsements to their full-length versions, despite costing less to air.
Cut-downs can be a highly effective means of improving the efficiency of a campaign. Using the example of a UK food brand,
we can demonstrate how cut-downs can help deliver efficiency savings.
The original 30-second ad aired in two bursts, achieving an Awareness Index of 6, slightly above average. The following
season, a 10-second cut-down was introduced into the mix, and the Awareness Index rose to 11, almost doubling the
efficiency of the campaign, while communication stayed strong.
At their most effective, cut-downs work by stimulating memories of the full-length ad, which, effectively, means the advertiser
gets the benefit of the full ad at a fraction of the cost. In one example for a skincare brand, the 30-second ad was replaced by
a 15-second cut-down, and the Awareness Index doubled.
Very significantly, when respondents were asked to describe the 15-second ad, many described elements from the 30-second
ad that were not included in the cut-down. Clearly, the cut-down was triggering memories of the full ad.
In this scenario, it's essential that the most effective cut-downs use the most memorable scenes of the original ad. For
example, a 90-second TV ad made up of a series of vignettes was used to launch a broadband service in the UK. The ad was
one of the most involving ads we have tested. After an initial burst of the 90-second ad, two cut-downs were used to continue
the campaign. These performed less well because they didn't feature the most memorable parts of the original ad – and, as a
result, both enjoyment and cut-through were weaker.
Similarly, in the US, a deodorant ad achieved an Awareness Index of 5; however, the cut-down, which did not use the most
involving scenes, scored an AI of only 1. But creating a strong cut-down isn't that simple. An ad for a cleaning product in the
same market was researched as a 30-second ad, and performed well. The Awareness Index was around average,
communication was strong, and persuasion was high. But when the brand considered running a 15-second cut-down,
research showed that enjoyment and persuasion were both considerably lower.
So what went wrong? In the original, the most involving and memorable scene showed someone knocking over a glass of wine
on a tablecloth. This scene was also present in the cut-down. But in the original there was a twist: the first half of the ad
featured a wildly gesticulating man almost knocking over the wine glass, building tension. This was resolved entertainingly,
when it turned out to be someone else who actually spilt the wine – and it was this tension that was missing from the cut-down.
You can't create effective cut-downs mechanically by simply using the most memorable elements: you need to give careful
consideration to the structure of the full-length ad.
Digital advertising extremes
With the development of digital video advertising, the range of lengths of commercial video messages has expanded even
further, from six-second Vines to epic, multi-minute dramas.
Our analysis of campaigns from brands such as Oreo, Dove, Samsung and Coke found that longer-form messages provide a
powerful platform that has the potential to build equity and engagement by developing and enhancing emotional associations
that can frame future brand experiences and decisions positively.
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5 The most popular ads on YouTube average two minutes and one in eight are more than five minutes long; but clearly their
effectiveness depends on the quality of the creative. Freed from TV's cost-per-second, advertisers no longer need to think of
time as a ticking taxi meter. The question is no longer 'How much can we afford?' but rather 'How much time do we need?'
But just because you can doesn't mean you necessarily should. It's tough to retain attention for long periods of time. Our
analysis suggests that, in general, attention starts to drop off after a minute.
We've also found that many of the successful long-form ads we've tested are quite polarising. For some people they were
interesting, but others considered them boring and dull.
As with most advertising, one of the key creative challenges is integrating the brand into the interesting and memorable
elements of the ad. It doesn't need to be subtle as long as it's relevant. Of the ads we've tested for Google, which make the
YouTube Leaderboard, subjective branding ratings are generally strong.
At the other end of the spectrum, Vines offer a way into a social media landscape but have a limited time-length to engage. To
make the most of Vine, you should make the most of what's currently unique about the format: its six-second length; the ability
to do stop-motion video; and for the consumer to stop and start the Vine.
However, don't expect too much in terms of engagement: keep the content simple but not simplistic, having enough to engage
people but not so much that they can't take it in; also make it look authentic, not polished, as slick video will be seen as
'advertising'.
When it comes to branding, involve the brand throughout the Vine and as part of the video, not just the real estate. You can't
guarantee that people will look at who has posted the Vine, the caption or the hashtags.
And stick to one explicit message maximum – although it may be possible to reinforce a number of implicit associations.
The golden rules of ad length
The development of overarching videobased media planning, rather than having separate strategies for TV and digital, has
resulted in a new length-landscape, with each time-length having the potential to deliver against different objectives, whatever
the platform.
Although the detail will always depend on the brand objectives, most video campaigns will benefit from a mix of ad lengths,
each used to achieve a slightly different objective.
Short ads are ideal for communicating basic advertising ideas and for reminding consumers of something they've heard before.
Vines may be suitable for one simple explicit message.
A 15-second ad may be appropriate:
l
When a brand needs a continuity advertising plan. The lower cost of 15-second spots may be an efficient way to stretch
advertising spend, provided that a short ad can deliver communication and branding elements.
l
As a cut-down of a longer ad. A 15-second version can be a good reminder of a longer ad once the longer ad has been
fully established.
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6 l
When communication needs are simple. A 15-second ad may be able to stand on its own and deliver good payback when
the offer being communicated is straightforward and compelling.
Generally, longer ads are better than shorter spots at communicating complex messages. This can be particularly helpful:
l
When launching a new product or campaign.
l
When introducing a new campaign, or after a long advertising hiatus.
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When a brand has complex or multiple messages.
l
When introducing or supporting a line extension. Line extensions need to capitalise on the parent brand equity, while at
the same time establishing their own point of difference. In such cases, the greater flexibility of a longer ad will almost
certainly be of value.
A 60-second ad can be powerful in key circumstances such as:
l
For developing a story.
l
When a high level of involvement is desired.
l
To generate buzz and word of mouth for a brand. We've seen ads as long as two or three minutes that easily justify their
cost by virtue of their status as 'events' but here the creativity needs to be outstanding, and the reach may be limited.
While the very best ads can break all these rules, very few brands can consistently deliver to that level.
About the Author
Daren Poole is global brand director for Link, Millward Brown's advertising optimisation solution. He was previously chief client
officer for Australia, and is based in Sydney.
Read more articles on TV strategy
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10 rules for TV strategy
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The capricious TV viewer
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David Beale
Second-screen social opportunity
Tom Talbert
A content-first strategy
Chris Binns
The power of TV
Bernard Cools
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