OMD UK and HMV are claiming a world first with a 21-second ad in a
pre-Christmas push for the Sony label Independiente and its band, So
Solid Crew.
The ad uses the time theme of So Solid Crew's number-one chart single 21
Seconds to promote the band's debut album, They Don't Know.
A voiceover points out that this is the world's first 21-second ad as a
clock in the corner of the screen counts up to 21 seconds while the
track runs in the background.
OMD UK TV's buying director, Neil Johnston, had the idea for the
21-second ad and developed the media strategy. The agency also handled
media planning and buying.
The ad breaks on 19 November and will run for a week on E4, MTV, The
Box, Kiss and Smash Hits to target 16- to 34-year-olds. To balance the
minutage of the programming schedule, channels are adding an extra
second to three and three-and-a-half-minute breaks for free.
HMV has negotiated a co-operative ad strategy in which the retailer and
label co-fund the advertising.
The ad was art directed by Derek Hayes and written by Neil Hall at BDS
Beechwood.
Johnston said: "This is a great, fantastic example of media leading the
creative strategy, working with the client and record label to produce a
world first."
