Resuscitating the 30-second spot

A discussion with Joseph Jaffe, author of `Life after the 30-Second Spot'. The 30-second spot is a metaphor for traditional mass-marketing, which assumes a simple relationship between exposure and response; this is overpriced and is not consumer-centric.

Resuscitating The 30-Second Spot

Jon Feld

Joseph Jaffe readily admits that, in the past, he has waffled when speaking publicly about his views of conventional TV ads. When talking to New Age marketing zealots, “I dance on the 30-second's grave and sing hallelujah,” says the author of Life After the 30-Second Spot(John Wiley & Sons, 2005). Yet, he has been known to “feebly parrot that the 30-second isn't going away anytime soon” when he is addressing a room filled with traditional marketers and media people. Jaffe is now ready to come clean: he says the 30-second spot –...

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