According to Linderman, while the 30 sec ads won't be calling it quits anytime soon, the increased investment for sponsorship, and popularity and employment of advertiser funded programming, lower third promotion, product placement, interactive enhancements, advertising and promotions are good indications of what lies ahead.

With advertising space increasingly cluttered, and the increase in the rate of "super surfers", the onus on advertisers is not just to devise new ways of advertising and promotion that bypass the clutter and engage viewers. The creative brains now have to give them packaged ads in the form of alternative entertainment and yet not make it sound like a sales pitch.

"The viewers now not only surf during the ad breaks, but they even surf during the content," Linderman offered. "Gone are the days of solely depending on a great 30" spot to cut through to your viewers. Media overload and innovative technology have encouraged the brand owners to explore and exploit new and creative ways of communicating with their audiences," she added.

Taking Korea as a case study, Linderman emphasised that television isn't the sole means of getting information faster. The consumers have started depending more on Internet, and mobile phones. "If the world is going to end in four minutes, how would you inform more people? Certainly, mobile technology will be a better choice then television," she said to buttress her point.

Linderman's session also discussed Personal Video Recorder aka PVR's, which enable the audience to watch their favourite TV programmes at convenient times and minus the ad interruptions.

"Viewers are hardwired now, they understand the grammar of the television," she offered. Just like the usual programming fare that was interspersed with the host of interesting ads to elucidate the speakers point about effective advertising.

The session was anchored by the live wire radio RJ and host of Zee's talent hunt 'Zee Cinestar Ki Khoj' Roshan Abbas.