Blipverts

Over at the great More Minimal blog (quick side note: how great is the design? So elegant in its simplicity.), a reference is made to Blipverts on the Max Headroom show in the 80s. Blipverts, in the show, were short ad bursts that contained so much information that they would make a listener's head explode. Ouch.

According to the blog, Clear Channel has brought non-head-exploding blipverts (here, called "blinks") to life by airing very short two-second ads between songs. As stated on the blog, "Don’t like them? Won’t matter: the Blink will be over before you can reach for the dial. Message delivered."

It's a pretty clever move and it fits right in with the fast-cut style of most current TV shows and the rapid-fire promos that have become common on FM radio. And who knows, maybe they'll be so quick that you won't get a chance to get annoyed with them. I listened to one for The Simpsons and it was mildly jarring, but not too bad.

A few possible Blinks for when the Ping starts its radio advertising campaign of 2017:

• THE DAILY PING! (flush sound)
• THE DAILY PING HAS OREOS ON ITS FACE!
• THE DAILY PING! Today and everyday!
• THE DAILY PING! Are my two second up ye...

I'm curious to find out how much a two second Blink will cost versus a regular 30-second ad. And whether someday we'll be facing a one minute long barrage of 30 back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back Blinks.