In case you’re not hip on internet acronyms. TL;DR is an abbreviation for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.”

As in you asked for too much time and commitment from someone, and you got rejected with a “TL;DR” response.

The scary part?

TL;DR only applies to a (semi) committed audience. 

Semi-committed because they presumably would have read something shorter and  punchier.

For an uncommitted audience, it’s not so much TL;DR as TB;DC.

With TB;DC standing for “Too Boring, Don’t Care.” 

And, yes, I just made that up. The acronym isn’t (yet) in common use, though the attitude is everywhere. 

I was inspired to create that acronym after a mentor sent me this meme:

So what does this have to do with advertising?

Everything!

Your radio or TV ad will be encountered by an audience in TB;DC mode. 

If your ad isn’t instantly interesting or relevant, the audience will tune out.

And even if you get (some) of their attention, you’re still subject to most of the obstacles in the above-posted meme:

In other words, it’s nowhere near enough for your ad to grab attention. 

It’s not even enough for it to keep the audience’s attention.

The art of ad writing requires the creation of ads that work even for an audience that’s half-paying attention.

An ad that works even for an audience that’s keying in on the funniest or most gossip-worthy parts of the ad.

An ad that’ll ensure even the most TB;DC audience will still “get” the persuasion and branding.

Do Your Ads Pass the TB;DC Test? 

If all the person heard or saw of your ad was the funny parts (or the shocking or attention-grabbing parts):

Understand, also, that this is one of those situations where if there’s any doubt, there really IS no doubt. 

If you’re not sure if your ads pass this test, you should now be darn sure that your advertising team needs upgrading. 

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