After originally unveiling its 6-second ad units earlier this summer and utilizing them in the World Series, Fox is ready to use them again this Thanksgiving with the NFL.
According to Advertising Age, Fox will have nine 6-second ads inserted says during the Thanksgiving Day Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions game “at the discretion of the game producer.”
During the World Series, Fox has run them during pitching changes, meetings at the mound and at times when there are natural breaks during the action. The ads appear in a double box with the live action shrunk to the left of the screen and the sponsor’s ad on the right.
If you haven’t seen them, here’s an example from Sunday’s World Series Game 5 with Joe Buck and John Smoltz acknowledging their presence.
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In addition, the 6-second ads will actually replace one standard commercial block that normally goes for two minutes and 20 seconds.
The NFL hopes to learn more about the 6-second commercials to possibly improve the TV and online viewing experience.
The shorter ad units have been used extensively online, especially on YouTube, but are now migrating to TV. AMC is also running some 6-second ads during The Walking Dead.
So as TV hopes to regain traction with viewers, networks hope that a familiar online ad strategy can work in traditional media.
