Running big/long ads may not be the most effective use of your advertising spend, says John Billett in Marketing. The belief that big ads or long ads generate the most response isn’t necessarily true. The biggest payoff comes if you start large, then switch to smaller ads as quickly as possible.
Smaller sizes and shorter clips can also serve their purpose, especially once you’ve established your pitch with a larger/longer format ad. If you have a good creative message, you should be able to use it in different formats. Once people start to recognise the longer/bigger version, you can cut to a shorter one and save up to 75 per cent on costs.
Smaller ads, too, are most cost effective, even if larger ones deliver higher volume. As a media buyer for Woolworth’s, Billett discovered that the best return came from buying three commercials of two minutes, then followed by a series of shorter ones with the same creative.
“Consumers saw the shorter ads as though they were longer ads,” says Billett. Woolies got the impact and volume it needed and saved loads of money.
That’s got to be good news in the current climate. Now it’s just a question of getting killer creative to ensure your 30-second ad hits home.
