Jaffe Juice

A new study documents that all is not yet lost for the ailing 30-second spot at the hands of the carnivorous DVR predator.

As reported in the Hollywood Reporter, Frank N. Magid Associates revealed that more than half (55%) of DVR consumers have at some point stopped fast forwarding in order to watch a commercial message.

I don't know about you, but this tells me virtually nothing, except that from time to time remote controls that have too much fried chicken grease on them succumb to the occasional slip of the finger.

In all seriousness, this has obvious and important implications for creatives (are you paying attention?) in the way they produce and build 30-second spots or derivations thereof. The more iconic they are...and (ironically) the more persistent the brand identifiers and/or integrating elements are, the more likely they will be to capture the attention of the multi-tasking demons that we fondly refer to as consumers.

It completely destroys the traditional method of leading up to an a-ha type reveal, followed by obligatory logo flash and toll-free/website afterthought.

It also doesn't exactly help the brand sans rockstar status and/or a proven track record of commercial excellence.

I also wouldn't go betting the farm on just over 1 in every 2 consumers WHO HAPPEN TO BE IN A FAST-FORWARDING FRAME OF MIND. (Excuse the caps, but think about what we're up against)

Hey, but that's just me.