Short ads do not work
Three second social ads do not help brands
Advertising
Three second social ads do not help brands
Good old television ads have bigger impact on buying decisions than shorter ads on social media. It happens as long term memory kicks in after watching longer ads. Facebook video ads are optimised for three seconds.
Sales impact of TV ads is greater at 28 days after exposure. Ads on Facebook (3 seconds) and Youtube (6 seconds) have less impact on sales impact. Seconds of active attention correlates with short term advertising strength (sales). Therefore, longer ads such as TVCs ( 30 seconds to 90 seconds) decay slower than smaller ads.
Professor Karen Nelson-Feld, the author of ‘Attention Economy and How Media Works’ wrote, “Just to get back to comparative levels of TV performance for example, targeting on Facebook would need to deliver around three times more sales than Facebook without targeting (and remember, without minimising reach).”
Online ads are better at targeting, but they don’t produce results for brands, as traditional ads did. Therefore, online platforms should help brands reach broader audience, and not just the targeted few.
Book: The Attention Economy and How Media Works: Simple Truths for MarketersLink
Videos: Not all reach is equal Link