• by John Gaffney , August 19, 2002

Ads On Demand: I interviewed Jeff Hicks, who is a partner at Miami’s Crispin, Porter and Bogusky agency earlier this year. He told me something I had not heard up to that point. I don’t remember the exact quote but it was something to the effect that full-page ads and 30 second spots are restrictions placed on him by content owners. They are not necessarily the sacred spaces content owners think they are. Hicks went on to prove his point with the outrageous print campaign for the Mini. I’m starting to sense that a similar change will come to TV spots. I do know that some cable networks, Scripps’ Fine Living among them, are starting to encourage advertisers to think outside the 30 and outside the 15. Now Cox Cable in Atlanta has announced that it will actively solicit advertisers for long-form commercials on its VOD service. Great move. Now it needs some advertisers. I believe the long-form commercial could and should replace the half-hour infomercial. BET has dropped infomercials. I have to believe that a three-minute infomercial might provide a better ROI for seller and vendor alike. It might even attract some brands that have apprehensions about the cost to shoot a 30 minute infomercial. And if Cox is successful, you will see more two and three minute ad slots appearing on cable rate cards.

Selling Rosie To Rosie: It is a hazard of the game. In golf you could land in sand or water. In celebrity publishing you land with a celebrity that thinks she knows publishing better than you, even through you’ve run ad pages up 100 pent over last year. I’m not saying content isn’t important; it’s everything. I think G&J did a good job launching and maintaining Rosie’s content. If she can do it better, let her buy it. Then start negotiating with TheView.

Selling Catherine: The flip side of dealing with celebrities is that they do attract attention. I’m very happy with my cell phone service (Sprint PCS), but yes, I have 100 percent-unaided awareness that Catherine Zeta-Jones has replaced Jamie Lee Curtis for VoiceStream.