'The Walking Dead' Announces New Shorter Ad Format
In a seemingly new approach to advertising, AMC has begun selling spots that air immediately [...]
In a seemingly new approach to advertising, AMC has begun selling spots that air immediately before The Walking Dead begins, with these slots only lasting six seconds. An average TV commercial lasts 30 seconds, with online ads often being merely 15 seconds. These new, bite-sized ads will allow advertisers to get to the point more quickly with a target demographic.
"Fans will appreciate the fact that it's brief, and it's highly valuable for the advertisers," president of advertising sales for AMC Networks Scott Collins told Variety.
According to the network, the series draws in 10 million viewers in the 18 to 49 age range during an episode's first 10 minutes. This would make an ad much more likely to be seen than were it to run during the final 10 minutes.
"Six seconds seems to be a new format that people are more interested in than in the past," Collins detailed. "It doesn't work for everyone. It all depends on the advertising."
Additionally, the six-second ad will air at the program's start time, which makes it more likely to be recorded by DVR systems and visible to anyone who watches the episode after it's aired. According to Collins, this format "makes this the most powerful and engaging six-second moment that you can buy."
The nature of the series and its vision of an apocalypse removes the possibility of product tie-ins, as it's impossible to showcase the newest model of car or other various gadgets in the narrative, which this the six-second ad could highlight.
The network has also begun testing commercials that run after credits but before a preview of the next week's episode, as a show's most devout fans will want to see what's next as much as they tune in at the start of an episode.
The Walking Dead's sibling series Fear the Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9 pm ET on AMC. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season on October 22, 2017. The Season Eight premiere will mark 100 episodes overall for the popular AMC series. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.
[H/T Variety]
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