• by Mike Bloxham , Op-Ed Contributor, March 21, 2007

Blah, blah, end of media as we know it. Blah, blah, end of 30-second spot, blah, blah.

OK, you get the idea. We've all heard (and most of us have made) various allusions to the changing media environment -- and some have gone so far as to predict the apocalyptic end of the 30-second spot.

In my past columns, I've made clear that I think there is life in conventional advertising for at least a while yet, but that advertisers, agencies and media owners alike are increasingly under pressure to find alternatives that provide for effective communication and that involve an audience.

That said, what would brand owners actually do in a post-30-second-spot era? We often hear about the apparently imminent demise of conventional TV advertising. but seldom do we hear much about what might replace it (one notable exception being Joseph Jaffe's book Life After the 30-Second Spot.)

So, let's imagine for a moment -- just for fun -- that TV is still with us and still delivering the same kind of audiences that it does today, but that for whatever reason you prefer, 30-second spots (and their 15-second baby siblings) are no longer a viable option for advertisers. Somehow in this scenario, quality programming is still produced and attracts the big audiences. so we have not retreated to the lowest cost programming (maybe subscription models have evolved to compensate for lost ad revenue?).

What, in such a scenario (flawed as it is), could the smart brand owner do to leverage the audiences that are there in the millions, and as loyal to their favorite programs as they are today? What strategy would deliver the kind of return on marketing investment that would satisfy the CMO?

Program sponsorship? Product placement or brand integration? Online association with related content? On-pack promotions leveraging characters or content from programs? Production of the programs themselves? Five-second spots?

There is an array of options -- not all included above -- but which do you think would provide the best payback for an advertiser? And why?