So, what is it actually? What length is if not perfect then just about it for ads? Or simply put, how long should advertisements be? This has always been a topic of debate among advertisers, even today’s changing landscape has not managed to escape it. It is still a matter of discussion that how long do the ads need to catch the audiences’ attention, deliver the message, and make an impact. Well, that’s up for discussion, but Voyzapp – the most prominent voice-over marketplace, has tried to look through the important variables that make up an ad and has tried to find out the ideal length. So, let’s dive right into it: -
Nowadays, most advertisements are divided into chunks of 15, 30, 45, & 60 seconds, out of which the radio and TV commercials use to lean on the longer side, however, this has reduced quite significantly in very recent times. Advertising specialists are always experimenting with the length of the ads to find out the ideal length and ensure high-efficiency of ads across various channels of advertisement. Although different surveys conducted by agencies around the globe have suggested 30 seconds as the ideal length of advertisement, there is enough proof that indicates an inclination towards the shorter versions of regular ads (not for any specific day, festival, or holiday). While ad specialists and strategists struggle to find the ideal length of ads, in the case of TV commercials, however, there exist ads of all lengths. In some cases, more compact ads are found to be effective while in others, especially holiday ads, rely on slow-cooking. But there has been a significant decline in regular TV viewership due to the outburst of online streaming services. Due to the rise in digital marketing and audio streaming services, it is very likely to encounter an advertisement voice-over of merely 6-8 seconds. So, what are the variables that determine or create the deviation in lengths of ads? these are major ones –
Single Agenda of Grabbing Attention –
Some say, longer ads make the audience feel bored or get distracted by other things happening around them. It goes like longer the ads, lesser is the paid attention. While others say, shorter ads have the crispiness that makes them more effective as it doesn’t feel like taking much time and the information and messages are delivered quickly. However, there is another group that states shorter ads however may take up lesser time, the barrage of information hurled on the audience makes them confused about what to focus on. And then some experiments with combining two or more ads of different lengths. So, there is a version for everyone. However, from the audiences’ point of view it's not the length that captures their attention but how that length has been utilized does. So, as an advertiser, you need to get more and more creative with your ads to keep audiences interested.
The Medium of Advertising –
Well, the medium you choose to advertise on sets you up with the options of possible ad lengths. As mentioned earlier it ranges from 15 – 60 seconds chunks. Now the key factor governing the length of your ad could be the price for the run-time. If you are advertising for 30 seconds on TV it will cost a lot more than a radio voice-over advertisement of the same length. Although, no one would like to pay more than what get, also, it is there to see that which of these two are a more suitable medium for your products or services. What’s the point of paying anything if it does not make the impact or reach the people you wanted to target with it. Radio and TV are broad-spectrum channels and therefore advertising on them gives the benefit of the repetitive running of ads. You can also set up demographic targets for both mediums, but this is where digital marketing becomes more potent. It offers you to spend your every dime if and only when a targeted demographic, or age group, is hit with the ads, and therefore offering more dedicated marketing.
Everything for the Impact –
All the efforts, studies, analysis, and brainstorming are done to induce more effectiveness into the ads. The more effective ads are, the greater will be their impact. So, before entering a campaign, it's better to clearly lay down the objectives that you want to achieve with the ads. Whatever it is – a brand awareness campaign, production promotion, etc., just define that objective. The impact of an ad is basically causing enough emotional stir in the audience that encourages them to respond to the call to action. In such a case the length of the video becomes very crucial along with the creativity. Therefore, your ads need to have all the necessary ingredients in the right order to cook up the storm, and out of those, voice-overs are one of the most important. You see, running ads with narrations from amazing voice-over actors generate more engagements and make it more impactful.
So, the sum total of all is that it's not the length that creates the stir but what you do with it does. While short-form advertisements are being more favored by brands, it is to be handled with care. Too much of anything is bad. Repetitive advertisements kill the creativity in them. So, be carefully creative with your ads.