Breaking the 30-Second Barrier

NEW YORK - The impending demise of the 30-second commercial has been a theme of numerous reports, articles, speeches and surveys ever since TiVo and other digital video recorders came to town and made it possible to easily fast-forward through the spots.

While some consumers would no doubt cheer in that event, marketers have devoted themselves to answering the challenge. At Initiative Media, an agency whose most recent compilation of its own work is called "Beyond the 30-Second Commercial," one primary strategy is integrating brands directly into entertainment programs, said Tim Spengler, executive vice president and director for national broadcast.

In another tactic, some marketers, like the BMW of North America division of BMW, are experimenting with "short films," also known as "long commercials," which run up to nearly nine minutes but appear solely online.

A third approach still uses program breaks on television to reach consumers by mixing up the format with commercials that are longer or shorter than 30 seconds.

Read the article: www.nytimes.com