ARF the Advertising Research Foundation
  • Membership
  • Research
  • Access Knowledge
  • Communities
  • Events
  • About the ARF

home

Membership

  • Committees & Boards
  • Events
  • Self Service Research
  • Member Bulletin Board

Research

  • Recent ARF Research
  • Programs & Resources
  • Research Focus Topics
  • ARF DASH: Annual TV Universe Study

Access Knowledge

  • Topics
    • Ad Effectiveness & ROI
    • Analytics & Data Science
    • Audience & Media Measurement
    • Creative & Branded Content
    • Future States & AI
    • Past Event Highlights
    • Research & Data Quality
    • Targets & Segments
  • Find a Solution
    • 2025 Top Member Questions
  • Publications
    • News You Can Use
    • Knowledge at Hand
    • June 2026: Journal of Advertising Research
    • CMO Briefs

Events

  • Upcoming ARF Events
    • View All Upcoming Events
    • Upcoming Conferences
    • Upcoming Young Pros
  • Insights Studios
    • Upcoming Insights Studios
    • Past Insights Studios
  • Town Halls
    • Upcoming Town Halls
    • Past Town Halls
  • Past Event Highlights
  • Submit

Communities

  • Young Pros
    • About Young Pros
    • Upcoming Events
    • The Mentoring Loft
    • Advisory Board
    • Young Pros Spotlight
    • Social Strategist Team
    • E-Newsletters
    • Past Events Highlights
  • Women in Analytics
    • About Women in Analytics
    • Board of Directors
    • Mentorship Program
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events Summaries
  • Councils
    • Learn About the Council Program
    • ANALYTICS COUNCIL
    • MSI/ARF B2B Exchange
    • CREATIVE COUNCIL
    • COGNITION COUNCIL
    • CROSS-PLATFORM COUNCIL
    • CULTURAL-EFFECTIVENESS COUNCIL
    • LA MEDIA RESEARCH COUNCIL
    • ORGANIZATIONAL COUNCIL
    • PHARMA COUNCIL
    • SHOPPER INSIGHTS COUNCIL
    • SOCIAL COUNCIL

About ARF

  • About the ARF
  • ARF Board of Directors & Trustees
  • ARF Leadership Team
  • ARF at 90
  • Marketing Science Institute (MSI)
  • Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM)
  • Member Directory
  • ARF Awards
  • Press Kit
  • ARF in the Press
  • Contact Us
  • NYU/ARF Certificate in Marketing Optimization & Insights Certificate
  • ARF WIDE
  • ARF DASH: Annual TV Universe Study

My Account

  • Login
  • Create an Account

Invalid login. Please try again.

Password does not meet the required minimum length of 7.

Shorter Ads on TV – Original Research from ARF & TVision Insights

June 20, 2018

Original research conducted by The ARF & TVision Insights. Presented by Paul Donato, ARF Chief Research Officer, and Dan Schiffman, Founder & CEO, TVision Insights, at the ARF AUDIENCExSCIENCE Conference on June 13, 2018.

6 SECOND ADS: WHO, HOW & WHEN TO USE

Notable Findings:

Short Form Ads:

  • 6s commercials comprise only 3% of all ads; 69% of all ads were 15s; 25% were 30s; and 3% were 60s. However, 6s ads comprised 6% of all impressions as they, on average, ran in higher-rated programs.
  • Air more often in Premium Positions (first/last in pod, stand-alone) which appears to contribute to their higher attention levels.
  • Ran in every daypart, but 36% of airings were in Prime (which is above average). The Prime ads comprised ~50% of all short form ad impressions.
  • Generated higher attention across all age cohorts (slightly for 18-34, notably among viewers 35-54).
  • Are appreciably stronger in attention among Lighter Viewers.

Implications: 

  • Unlike digital, we did not find a difference in attention by age.
    • The difference may be due to how older viewers watch television.
  • The success of short form on linear television depends on how it is used.
    • Pod Position & Structure
    • Clutter
    • Premium Content/Primetime
  • Issues requiring more research:
    • How will short forms work when they are more ubiquitous?
    • How do short forms measure up on recall and messaging?
    • Do they have the same persuasion characteristics as digital short forms?
    • How to optimize creative for linear?
    • Can we demonstrate ROI and how do they factor in MMM?

Parameters:

Data collected Nov 1, 2017 – April 30, 2018. Also included specific program events that prominently featured 6s ads a few months earlier (e.g., World Series). National advertising from Broadcast and Cable Networks, all dayparts, all episodes.

About 3,300 shorter length ads were aired. The Panel was comprised of 7,000 viewers (including guests) age 2+.

Methodology Basics:

 Passive measurement. Proprietary computer vision technology measures who’s in the room, how long their eyes are on the TV screen, and what content they are watching.

Read the full presentation here. ­

  • ad tech
  • TV/Video
  • Topics
    • Ad Effectiveness & ROI
    • Analytics & Data Science
    • Audience & Media Measurement
    • Creative & Branded Content
    • Future States & AI
    • Past Event Highlights
    • Research & Data Quality
    • Targets & Segments
  • Find a Solution
    • 2025 Top Member Questions
  • Publications
    • News You Can Use
    • Knowledge at Hand
    • June 2026: Journal of Advertising Research
    • CMO Briefs

Trending

    • Creative & Branded Content
    • Article

    The Science of Ad Impact: How Minds Process Advertising

    • Targets & Segments
    • Article

    When AI Meets Representation: The Consumer Reality of Synthetic Diversity

    • Research & Data Quality
    • Article

    Scaling Causal Measurement: A New Path Beyond Attribution

    • Future States & AI
    • Article

    Striking the Right Balance in AI-Personalized Advertising

    • Audience & Media Measurement
    • Article

    The Co-Viewing Advantage: Maximizing Attention Across TV Platforms

Activate your Member Benefits

  • ABOUT
  • ARF DASH
  • ARF WIDE
  • ARF/NYU CERTIFICATE
  • CIMM
  • MSI
  • PRESS
  • SUBMIT
image description

To further, through research, the scientific
practice of advertising and marketing

© the Advertising Research Foundation. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | Request Permission to Use Content