RIP 30-Second Spot?

A majority of advertisers polled for a just-released survey say that traditional TV advertising has become less effective over the past couple of years.

That is according to a survey from the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research, which polled 133 advertisers--representing over $20 billion worth of ad spend--about a variety of subjects.

DVR’s are helping drive a reexamination of the media mix, said Josh Bernoff, VP,

Forrester Research. "Television networks continue to publish research that traditional TV advertising is potent as ever," was Bernoff’s harsh assessment in a presentation to an ANA forum in New York. "But national advertisers aren’t buying it and are seeking alternatives to enhance their budgets and move them beyond the customary 30-second spot."

Once DVR’s began to be widely used (30 million homes), 60% of respondents say they will cut back on their traditional TV budgets.

A whopping 70% of respondents said that the combination of DVR’s and video on demand will either "reduce or destroy" the effectiveness of a 30-second spot.

Eighty percent of those surveyed said they planned to spend more on Web advertising, as well as branded entertainment, sponsorship, interactive ads, and product placement.

Virtually everybody was in agreement (97%) that TV audience measurement must go beyond reach and frequency to measure ad exposures.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.