"It was the ideal duration for those watching at home (mainly women) to become familiar with a product and (hopefully) become convinced of its benefits. Sixty seconds was chopped to thirty in the 1970s - not because of changing attention spans, but because of cigarettes. To make up for revenue losses following the ban on cigarette adverts, television networks started shaving down ad lengths, and this shaving continued into the 1980s, when 15-second commercials were introduced."
"Though, even in the 20th century, there was a recurring narrative in advertising: our changing "attention spans" means ads need to be shorter. Interestingly, this is still a dialogue at play. In 2022, a Forbes article stated: "TikTok has met the consumer with the perfect delivery length for our narrowing attention spans"; the short-form format was declared king. Yet, in 2025, some brands continue to go the long way around."
"Brands like Rapha and Patagonia often utilise long-form formats to tell stories. The Patagonia website features a range of long-form documentaries. One of the top results, Seeking South, clocks in at just shy of 55 minutes long. Meanwhile through Rapha's YouTube channel, you can find short films such as Migration, a 20-minute documentary about the Migration Gravel Race, a four-day offroad bike race in the Maasai Mara."
Advertising spot length in America shifted from one minute in the 1950s and 1960s to thirty seconds in the 1970s and to 15-second commercials in the 1980s. The reduction in length followed the ban on cigarette adverts and networks' revenue adjustments rather than changing attention spans. Short-form formats gained renewed prominence with platforms like TikTok, which was described as matching narrowing attention spans. Several brands continue investing in long-form storytelling: Patagonia and Rapha host documentaries and short films, Adidas released a feature-length documentary about a football boot, and Nike launched an official account on Substack.
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