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While the popularity of 15-second television commercials appears to have peaked (at almost 40 percent of network TV spots) in 1989, it is probably safe to agree with the Association of National Advertisers's (ANA's) conclusion that 15-second spots are "here to stay" (ANA, 1990).
Inevitably, use of :15s has changed since their initial appearance on American television in 1983. Initially, :15s were simply "lifts" from 30-second commercials. Then :15s were specially created for the shorter time period. Recently, "book-end" :15s have appeared, in which specially-designed :15s are separated by other advertising. The :15s are related, most often by a "beginning-and-ending" story, in which some problem or situation is introduced in the first 15 seconds, followed by the product-related solution in the second 15 seconds. For example, CMB&B/Chicago used actor William Conrad to ask viewers to test their smoke detectors in the first 15 seconds, and then he admonishes them for not following his instructions in the second 15-second spot (Gales, 1989). The presumed effectiveness of this type of "bookend" advertising is heightened viewer involvement.
A variation of this type of "book-ending" is when related, but self-contained, :15s are run. These spots are "related" in that they are for different products in the same brand family. For example, the first ad might be for one product in the brand family, and the second might be for a related line extension (namely, Vaseline petroleum jelly followed by Vaseline lip balm). They can be separated by other advertising, as in "book-end" spots, or run back-to-back.
An initial question is the marginal effectiveness of pairs of brand-related :15s. Is there a significant incremental effect of a second :15 for a related product in the brand family?
A second important question pertains to scheduling of related :15s in a commercial pod. Should they be back-to-back, or is there some advantage to separating them, as in classic "beginning and ending" story bookends? When the two :15s are simply different products for the same brand, their effectiveness does not depend on viewer involvement with a story but may depend on their position in a pod of commercials: what is their effectiveness if they are back-to-back, and is their effectiveness heightened if they are separated by other advertising--as is presumed to be the...