Time is running out for the 30-second TV commercial
The 30-second television commercial was once a cultural icon. Unfortunately, it has lost that status. TV commercials are destined for history museums, along with cassette players and dial-up telephones.
TV commercials had their golden era in the 1960s. People had lots of time, particularly after work. There were no emails, text messages or social networks to follow. TV was limited to a handful of stations that only broadcast during certain times of the day.
Commercials were part of the TV experience. They offered a window into the new world of packaged goods, automobiles and airline travel. Thanks to TV commercials, people could learn about these products without having to get up from the sofa.
That’s not the case anymore. For today’s internet-enabled consumers, TV commercials are probably the least efficient way to learn about a product. They are 30 seconds of sell (推销), while all we really want to do is sit back and watch our show.
Time-shifting — the ability to fast forward and rewind (倒回) — has made it possible for us to make watching TV just one more scheduled activity in our already packed diaries. It’s not that we don’t want to hear from brands. It’s just that we don’t want to hear from them during the time we have set aside to watch TV. A study last year showed that 84 percent of respondents wanted to fast forward through the ads they watched. More than 60 percent of them, meanwhile, downloaded shows so that they could skip commercials.
Hence the concept of “interruptive advertising.” People don’t want to be interrupted by advertising. They only want to engage with it when they are in consumer mode and thus in the proper mood for a brand’s message.
So, are TV commercials dead already? What sort of brand message is appropriate today? The answer isn’t yet clear, but pre-roll (片前的) ads may be part of the solution. People are less likely to consider such ads annoying since they start to roll before the viewer has a chance to engage with the show. It might be followed up by a page on the show’s website, with links that allow the viewer to connect more deeply with the brand.
【小题1】According to the author, television commercials are outdated because ______.①people’s attention is taken by many things
②there are alternative ways of promoting products
③there are all kinds of information on the internet
④time-shifting has made it possible for us to skip TV commercials
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ |
| C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．People have a busier work schedule now than in the 1960s. |
| B．People no longer care about the brand message in the commercials. |
| C．People tend to skip commercials when they spare time to watch TV. |
| D．People will feel annoyed when they watch interruptive television ads. |
| A．Critical | B．supportive |
| C．casual | D．conservative |
