The Upfront Evolution Explained. An Interview with DeadLizard CEO Todd Reinhart

It seems to me that Upfronts are continuing to evolve at an ever increasing pace. I sat down with Todd Reinhart, Partner & Co-Founder of DeadLizard to get his take on where we are now in informing the media marketplace and where we are going:

Charlene Weisler: What do you see as the evolution of Upfronts over the past decade?

Todd Reinhart: There have been many changes in the media landscape in the past decade making analysis of the evolution complex. However, the key drivers of change over time are storytelling, technology and resources. A decade ago, Upfronts were dominated by big splashy events that leveraged talent, programming and viewership. Today, the Upfronts are selling experience, narrative and brand.

Weisler: What do you attribute this to?

Reinhart: The big reason (as make no mistake, demographics are still critically important) is ad tech development yielding tool sets that enable advertisers to flexibly target highly focused groups of viewers at larger and more efficient scales. Current Networks (and especially Streamers) have unprecedented stockpiles of viewer data at their fingertips. For buyers, data easily eclipses the cachet of any given flagship show or actor. Sellers, by necessity, need to package access to their data in more of a brand narrative as it is not tied to a specific franchise, but rather can be available across network programming. A big component driving change is resources. There is an ever-widening gap between independent networks and media conglomerates.  The tilt on the playing field is so steep that most independent Nets have taken to hitting the Upfront season early to snatch as many niche ad dollars as possible before the media giants crash onto the scene in early May. The hard truth is that there are two distinct markets at play operating at entirely different levels - one that is flush with the latest and most powerful ad technologies and data capture, and another that isn’t. 

Weisler: Do you think that Upfronts are more effective than five years ago or not and why?

Reinhart: They are and they aren’t . The defining line is scale and resources, as independent Nets are approaching and engaging in the Upfronts today very differently from the portfolio Network conglomerates. Across the board, all Upfronts have become more experiential in nature, but many of the independent networks skew toward a more historically traditional Upfront where they tout talent and content and activate on that axis for building affinity and fandom. Media giants can offer proprietary ad tech tool sets on a scale that independent networks cannot. So, in a way all Upfronts are generally more effective as they are pursuing an evolution of their viewership - deeper fandoms over simple eyeballs. However, the ad tech component of today’s Upfronts is one of the most competitive spaces with the largest opportunity for returns - but it is very much pay-to-play. Smaller Nets have lost efficacy and competitiveness in relation to their position 5 years ago.

Weisler:  How can one craft a compelling Upfront when the industry continues to transform?

Reinhart: By keeping one eye on the present and the other on the future, while viewing it all through a lens that is specific to that content provider’s brand and narrative. Every Network has a unique story, audience and offering - so each has different metrics for what makes their value prop compelling or what elements for inclusion are optimal.

First and foremost, the data and research should inform the narrative, define brand fans and evangelists, and reveal the primary strategy to connect advertisers to them. Buyers are sitting through dozens of presentations in a short period of time - stats and rankers quickly blur together (every Network has a #1 demo for something, right?), but emotive and affinity-based lines are much stickier in hearts and minds.

Having developed solutions for events and small agency groups, the calculus for which way to go needs to be rooted in brand and sales goals for the Upfront and the synergy of message with the method in which it’s delivered. Perhaps you’re a smaller network with a bread-and-butter stable of syndicated programs and a couple of original niche series? Small agency groups might be the way to go this year based on upcoming programming, audience trends, and your competitive set. Or you’re a Network with a growing portfolio of channels and a strategic acquisition on the horizon - a larger event to prep the marketplace and press with a growth mindset for the next year could be the call. Or you could be an established Network that is looking to pivot, and you need to shift perception first amongst buyers and then advertisers themselves - a hybrid approach of curated and heavily branded small events at your largest agencies could be the winning strategy. It all comes down to keeping your goals centered, sticking to the strategy and narrative, and getting that Upfront audience converted into advocates for your brand.

Weisler: How does data and research play a role in the presentation?

Reinhart: Ten years ago, lots of research-backed information and rankers appeared quite regularly in Upfront collateral - the buyer hard sell, if you will. There has been a generalized pivot away from eyeball counting, and a massive lean into brand affinity and fandom. This results in a sell to ad buyers that hits more on the emotive, qualitative and aspirational level. 

Weisler: What do you see as the trends in Upfronts going forward?

Reinhart: I see an acceleration and amplification of the forces that have driven change in the industry as we continue 1, 3 or 5 years out from now. Core to this will be a continued divergence in the landscape in terms of the big and small players. What will be very interesting coming out of this particular Upfront season will be the very definition of who is a big or small player. That question is in play as Amazon, Netflix and YouTube wade into the traditional space which they themselves were key in disrupting to get to the heights of their sway and influence today. There is also breakneck speed with which new technologies are developing within the content space with a move into more experiential and fandom/brand affinity themes as we see both Augmented Reality and AI generated content move from niche to mainstream. These forces will require continued evolution and adaptation of the Upfront structure. Ten years from now we just might have fully immersive AI-generated Upfront experiences that are beamed out to millions of AR headsets across the globe, but perhaps then, as now, everything old will be new again just in a different shell.   

 This article first appeared in Mediapost.com 

Artwork by Charlene Weisler