I never thought that my response of ZERO to the question as to how long an optimal pre-roll commercial should be would have resonated as it did.
Ian Schafer offers thoughtful commentary here and what I find interesting (but not surprising) is that his guidelines are 100% applicable to all of video advertising, including - but not limited to - television and the 30-second spot:
- Make ads better
- Make ads shorter
- Make ads more relevant
- Make ads less frequent
Reducing clutter is a no-brainer. Better targeting is critical. Improved creative is a necessity.
The only thing I'd tweak is that the length of the ads should be determined by the consumer - make ads shorter OR longer and let the consumer ultimately decide.
