Pros and Cons of :15 and :30 Spots

When researching pros and cons of 15-second spots versus 30-second spots, media researchers and advertisers have found the following:

CONS of :15 Units

• Research proves recall for a :15 spot is LOWER than that of a :30 spot. The difference is over 30% for product categories and 20% for brand recall/specific brands. Other research shows the recall of a :15 commercial spot to be up to 77% lower than that of a :30 commercial spot. (Source: MidAtlantic Journal of Business Research Study)
• The number of :15 spots in a commercial pod did NOT affect recall. (Source: MidAtlantic Journal of Business Research Study)
• Standard unit length on television is 30 seconds. This means there is an increased chance of preemptions when running other duration units such as 15-second spots.
• If a station is sold out, the advertiser would be required to pay the “bump” rate for a :30 unit, regardless of unit length being ony 15 seconds.
• :15 units are priced at a premium

PROS of :15 Units

• :15 units may be used as bookends and to increase frequency. Research does not indicate increased frequency increases recall.
• :15 units are affective for branding and imaging.

At the end of the day, there are both pros and cons to running :15’s instead of :30’s. Be sure if you make this step that you have read the information carefully and know what message you are trying to communicate.