It’s starting to really get under my skin when I see a commercial that only includes the punch-line and most, if not all, of the comical buildup has been cut out. What’s the point? The end effect is that advertisers and networks are joining forces to upset brand loyal viewers.
I can understand cutting the length of an extended one time commercial down to about 30 seconds, like in the case of variations seen of Super Bowl spots after the big game. But when a 30 second commercial spot gets cut down to fifteen seconds, at the expense of the comical buildup, well that’s just stupid.
This practice is becoming more and more common and it needs to be stopped. It’s likely that there’s a combination of two key factors that are making this happen: individual companies attempting to save a few bucks on airtime and television networks being greedy and charging outrageous rates for commercial slots.
On several occasions, I’ve found myself smiling in anticipation of the delivery of a great finale to a commercial that comically builds up as plays out. Then, the spot skips over the meat of the message and jumps straight to the punch-line. What a letdown. It makes me dislike both the brand that made the commercial and the network it’s airing on.
There have been times when I called my girlfriend into the room to see a funny commercial that I’ve seen in the past. Then, once the commercial skips the content and jumps to the conclusion, it not only eliminates the humor, it also ruins the commercial if she were to see it in the future. This is a very upsetting trend in the television industry lately.
So how can this issue be resolved? Simple. Companies need to stop being so cheap in delivering their brand message and networks need to stop being so greedy and quit jacking up the cost of running a commercial. Either that, or companies start manufacturing a 15 second spot, instead of ruining a complete version of a previously released commercial by cutting it up to fit a cheaper slot.
Perhaps this is nothing more than a useless rant by an agitated viewer. However, I don’t believe that I’m alone in my feelings. I can’t imagine the masses being content with getting ripped off during our valuable entertainment time. And make no mistake about it, when the comedy of the few commercials that are actually enjoyable to watch gets removed because of wealthy corporations charging too much or not paying enough, we are the ones suffering and being ripped off.
