Adlet's, blinks, and why they wont work for SME's

Have you ever considered advertising on radio, but thought it was too expensive? Well, get this... a radio network in the USA has introduced the shortest radio ad's possible - as little as 1 or 2 seconds. They call these short ad's adlets, or blinks for the 1-second version.

Why are they doing this? In this article from Wharton Business School they explain:

Adlets and blinks are part of a broader shift in a fragmenting media industry as broadcasters try to adapt to new technologies -- such as TiVo and music and video downloading -- that allow listeners and viewers to evade traditional advertising. In addition, many listeners simply change stations when long commercial breaks, known as "pods," begin.

My view is that the ad's will work much like direct marketing - "get it now" - type messages. Especially for brands that the listener already knows. Or to mention a web address (URL) for the listener to visit.

However, in my opinion, for new brands, small businesses (SME's), and unknown products, the adlets and blinks will be a waste of money - even if it is less that what you would pay for a standard 30-second spot. The time is too short to get across any real useful information to tell people why they should buy.