Arby's Breaks the World Record for Longest Commercial This weekend, Arby's aired a 13-hour, dialogue-free commercial of brisket being smoked. Riveting.

By Kate Taylor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The average commercial lasts 30 seconds. Arby's latest is 1,560 times that long.

This Saturday, the sandwich chain aired a 13-hour commercial on a single television station in Duluth, Minn. The commercial promotes Arby's brisket sandwich, demonstrating the slow smoking process behind the menu item. The ad has no dialogue: just brisket smoking for hours on end, in a manner reminiscent of Christmas specials of a burning Yule log. The climax occurs during the conclusion of the 13-hour commercial when the brisket is removed and assembled into a sandwich.

The ad smashed the previous world record for longest commercial, which was a mere one hour spot by the Nivea brand.

Related: Useful and Easy Gets More People Sharing Your Content

A live stream of the commercial will be available on Arby's website Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m. EST. To get people to engage, Arby's will be offering over $20,000 in cash and prizes over the course of the live stream for online viewers.

Unlike typical commercials, Arby's goal isn't to get people's eyes on the screen. Few individuals -- even those in Duluth who had access to the original airing of the commercial -- could be expected to tune in for 13 hours straight. Instead, the sandwich chain hopes to gander social-media buzz from people talking about the record and the weirdness of a 13-hour commercial. If fans of the ad take to social media, Arby's doesn't need potential customers to see the ad -- it just needs them to see their friends' Twitter feeds.

The commercial was produced by Fallon, a full-service advertising agency with headquarters in Minneapolis and offices in London and Tokyo. You may have recognized some of their work including the fan favorite Cadbury Gorilla ad, the agency taking TIME Magazine's iconic red border and using it in innovative ways and United Airlines "It's Time to Fly," which used Oscar-nominated animators. They also happened to be involved in McDonald's major flop: The Arch Deluxe, along with Holiday Inn's "Bob Johnson" commercial, one that featured a transgender woman.

Only time will tell if this social experiment will be a total hit or get completely roasted.

Related: Arby's Expensive Revamp: Two Logos in Two Years

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Career

What Is 'Task Masking'? Young Workers Retaliate Against Return-to-Office Mandates With a Viral Strategy.

Many professionals value the flexibility of remote work — and they're not reacting well to forced in-office returns.

Side Hustle

This 30-Year-Old's $6,000-a-Month Side Hustle Started Making Money 'Immediately' — But He's Not Quitting His Day Job

Derrick Mathy works in orthopedic surgical device sales and is on a mission to bring people together in real life.

Business News

UnitedHealthcare Offers Employees Voluntary Buyouts to Meet 'Evolving Needs'

The health insurance giant could resort to layoffs if it doesn't meet resignation quotas with buyouts.

Starting a Business

The Mindset that Helped Me Start 5 Companies Before Age 30

If you were completely rational, you would never attempt anything.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.