The :15 Second TV Spot vs. The :30 TV Spot - A Creative Perspective

Which is the better strategy for your TV ad campaign: :15 second spots or :30 second spots? It all depends on who you ask. And, more importantly, what are your goals, your message and your budget?

A while back our Media Director, Buffy O'Connor, wrote a blog post entitled "6 Reasons To Use :15-Second Spots to Power Surge Your Media Budget." It had some very compelling reasons to use :15's, especially if you use them as "bookends" – with one running at the beginning of a commercial break and the other running at the end.

Since that time, a lot more brands (especially regional retail companies) have moved into a stronger use of :15's in their media mix. It's certainly something we've used successfully for a lot of our clients. But there are times when, from a creative and messaging standpoint, a :30 would be better. Here are some of those instances:

A :30 should be used if the message is too complex or has a lot of components. Sometimes there's just too much to say in :15 seconds. This is especially true with our retail clients over natural holidays. That's when consumers expect big deals and are ready to buy. So to drive traffic during those key times, it's not unusual to have a finance offer, a percentage off price story, a special incentive like paying your sales tax or an extra 20% off an item, plus price and items, special hours and the like – all in one ad. Putting all that in a :15 is next to impossible and if you split those offers between two :15s they're bound to lose their impact. This is a case when a :30 might be better.

A :30 may be better when launching a new branding effort or new product. When you're launching a new campaign, new idea or new product, you need time to both explain what's new and to create the right image in the consumer's mind. Even though you may not be jam-packed with information, setting the right mood and creating an image takes time too. When you're launching a new idea or product, that's when it's important to take the time to make sure you're telling the right message and sending the right vibe.

Sometimes the creative concept dictates spot length. Some concepts need a full :30 seconds to come to full fruition, some work better in short, single-focused blasts. In these instances, the success of the creative might hinge on having the right length of spot to maximize their effectiveness.

It's all about working together. What works best when deciding what length of spot to use for our clients is to get everyone together and look at it from all angle. What approach works best from a media strategy – do we need the extra frequency of bookended :15's to maximize the budget or are :30's enough? What works from the creative strategy – does the concept fit best on one length or the other; does the messaging require a longer length? How does overall strategy and client preference fit into the equation – do we need to mix in both :30's and :15's – and at what percentage? Only by breaking out of traditional silos and working together can we make sure we have the right mix to most efficiently achieve our goals.