Gone In 30 Seconds

Chris Sheldrake

It probably wasn’t worth a WHOLE press release, perhaps a tweet or a mention in presentation at a conference but we are anal enough to have found it interesting anyway here we see Captivate Network offerings its advertisers new (to them) 30-second ad format spots on it’s 8,000-plus North American digital screen network.

Andrea Fairbairn, media supervisor at Mediacom told us “We deal with a variety of clients who all have different communications needs and sometimes even legal requirements for their advertising so having the ability to work with Captivate Network on different ad length options is important”

Frankly even in a captive audience network we think 30 seconds is far too long but Andrea (the expert after all) continued “30-second spots give us the flexibility to offer our clients more ideas, create more interesting ads and meet any disclaimer requirements without sacrificing impact.”

One of the areas that the 30 second spot will be useful is the ability for more flexibility to communicate information such as legal disclaimers (oh joy).

A typical 50-story office tower we are told hosts about 5,000 spend-ready consumers who take an average of six elevator rides and several walks through lobby areas per day. That gives viewers several opportunities per day to see spots on Captivate screens. Captivate Network also has an interactive Web site, captivate.com, where viewers can follow up on content they see on a screen by participating in a promotion or printing a coupon, for example. Captivate Network’s news and information content is also adapted to the digital screen format by the company’s editorial staff to capture viewers’ attention more readily than the simple RSS feeds other networks rely on.

Captivate Network President and Founder Mike DiFranza told us “The 30-second spots come from our ongoing efforts to give advertisers a full array of creative solutions with Captivate. The new format will complement our other creative units – full screen brand integration, sponsorships, and our 15-second format.”

About Captivate Network

Captivate Network is the leading media solutions company in the out-of-home video advertising market. Through multiple touch points – on screen, on line and on site – Captivate enables advertisers to engage a highly desirable and targeted audience of millions of employed, “spend-ready” consumers at a time and place when they are most inclined to make business and personal buying decisions. Captivate was founded in 1997 and acquired by Gannett in 2004. The company is headquartered in Massachusetts, with offices throughout North America.


One Response to “Gone In 30 Seconds”

  1. David Titchenal Says:

    I agree that this does not rise to the level of a full press release but since it caught our attention I am glad you blogged about it. I have to agree that 30 seconds is a long spot in an elevator setting and you might have to catch half the message on the way up and the other half on the way down. But giving customers what they think they want as opposed to whats best for them is a problem marketers and advertising professionals come up against all too regularly. In the case of waiting room captive audience scenarios (like medical or veterinary), where the end game is patient or client education, then 30 seconds is fine. In fact, 2-3 minute “edvertisments” are common and allow the advertiser to tell the product story in a manner that does not fit retail signage venues or a 4-floor elevator ride. But I applaud Captive for being responsive to their clients needs and helping to open the eyes of corporate America to the fact that DOOH is nimble, fast and responsive.

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