Ad Content & Length

As we inch our way into the annual enrollment period for Medicare, our minds may be filled with all the times we’ve seen these long-detailed commercials explaining complex plans or policies. In the linear television space, it is important to consider your ad content and length. There are a multitude of commercial lengths, some of the most common being :15, :30, :60 and :120 second commercials. We see some of these crossover into the CTV, OTT and Digital space as well – usually leaning on those shorter view lengths.

However, this is all to say, that many times we may find a campaign struggling when we are not expecting, and re-inspecting the length could be a crucial revision. Medicare, medical devices, anything that requires thorough explanations or disclaimers will almost always benefit from a longer run time (60 or 120 seconds). This way of thinking can even be extended to long form 30 minute “shows”, as sometimes the needed explanations just won’t suffice in a 15 or 30 second ad. If you are looking at why your product or service may be struggling to get your messaging across, the solution could be as simple as giving more time for that messaging.

Conversely there is also a multitude of examples where you would want to lean on shorter lengths as well. While a medical device, or Medicare policy may not be well suited for a 15 second spot, an easy-to-understand product or simply trying to get visibility on your brand can be very effective in a 15 or 30 second ad. The reason I mention branding here is that with the prior products/services there is an attempt to sell/persuade towards whatever device or policy and thus needing the time to explain why; However, if your main concern is branding, and not sales/conversions, then shorter segments can cut out those explanations and simply give visibility to your business.

A great example of this would be any type of larger brand, or on a tighter budget trying to boost visibility alongside already established digital, print or other multimedia sales efforts. For these efforts a shorter 15 second advertisement can be great and can be used across platforms, facebook, CTV, linear, etc. and so for folks who are not needing lengthy explanations this can be a good place to start.

This is why at Modus Direct we always take the time to work with you and help examine, understand and really breathe in your business. That way we can best recommend, or assist with the production or execution of creative across whatever channels you may be interested in. Sometimes all the right pieces are there, but viewers need more or less time to digest what is trying to be conveyed.