Life After the 30-Second Spot

Between XM, Tivo, HBO, the nano, and the web…I don’t see or hear that many 30-second commercials anymore. So I don’t know why it should be difficult for me to imagine Life After the 30-Second Spot, the title and premise of Joseph Jaffe’s latest book. But it is. Maybe it’s because our company sells a LOT of 30-second spots.

The forward, written by Don E. Schultz, Professor Emeritus-in-Service at Northwestern University, sets the tone of the book:

Media advertising, as we have known, practiced, and worshipped it for the past 60 or so years, is in trouble. Big trouble. And it’s not going to get well. Ever.

I’m about half-way through the book and highlighting something on every other page. Jaffe might be full of shit, but just in case he’s only half-full, anyone remotely connected to advertising supported media should read this book.