Why the NFL Commercial Changes are Relevant to DRTV Marketers

Every now and then I see a news item that makes me chuckle and think of Al Eicoff. Today's news of the NFL changing it's in-game commercial structure is just one more example.

The primary reason Commissioner Goodell cited for the change is that viewers are more annoyed by the number of commercial breaks, not the length of them.

For many years Al Eicoff used to quote research that backed up why longer length commercials (i.e. :60's and :120's) were less annoying to consumers than several shorter length (:15 and :30's) commercials. "People count the number of commercials, they don't time them," he used to say.

Now, I am not sure that research really ever existed, but Al was trying to make the point that longer length commercials are more effective than shorter length commercials. On this point, he was 100% correct. And we have years of sales data to back it up.

It's nice to know that while the NFL drama of Goodell and Brady may live on, so too will Al's words.

Once again, he was ahead of his time.