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

Outfront and StreetMetrics Launch a Breakthrough in Dynamic Measurement

Measuring transit out-of-home advertising through the consumer journey has gotten much easier thanks to a partnership between Outfront Media and StreetMetrics. Their efforts have produced a breakthrough solution to dynamic measurement and attribution.   

Christina Radigan, Senior Vice President, Strategic Research & Insights, OUTFRONT and Drew Jackson, CEO of Street Metrics explained how this achievement enables planning, reveals campaign insights and streamlines attribution analysis for bus advertising.

According to Radigan, Outfront is one of the largest media networks with a roadside billboard posters and extensive transit and street level media. It was within bus advertising specifically that they were first introduced to StreetMetrics. For Jackson, his company is a third party media measurement platform specifically built for the outdoor advertising industry. “We got our start in the transit side,” he noted, “But we measure more than that from planning to campaign to outcome measurement, providing the full funnel full suite of metrics.”

The partnership has resulted in a game-changing application for dynamic data – fluid data which changes over time - that is poised to strengthen the entire out-of-home market. “Our measurement product predicts and forecasts the potential amount of impressions that could be associated with our media or custom packages,” Radigan explained. What sets this innovation apart is that it has the, ”ability to have data that can be used for planning to gather an insights and then actually using that same data set, that continuum of data, to then actually determine outcomes. That's a key differentiator and leading force of measurement for out of home,” she added.

This is only the beginning, she assured. “While it's starting with bus, we're really ambitious and hoping that we can continue to (expand) this relationship and partnership. We are very excited about this being something that we can put us on par with digital channels that use continuum data to do planning, insights, and correlation of targeting audiences and packaging to a business outcome.”

Capturing and measuring dynamic bus data involves a variety of data sets and protocols in conjunction with different ad campaigns. Jackson noted that, “You have to look at the unit level and the individual. You have to get really granular with time.  Also, campaigns are always evolving. The campaign that's on a specific bus is not always the same and the interaction, types and amounts of people that are coming in contact with that media are always evolving. There’s seasonality and changes such as when Covid hit and people were traveling less. We need to understand the ebbs, flows and movements and the connection points and ultimately, the tools to help surface insights.”

For Outfront, the goal was to, according to Radigan, “modernize measurement and have the ability to look at data historically. What we're trying to do is create a look back of historical anonymized data so that we can identify trends. You need to have data for about 12 to 18 months to identify what seasonality looks like, what markets are growing or giving more exposure to campaigns and associating that to a campaign level.”

There are great variations by markets as well. “A campaign in Miami might look very different than a campaign in New York City in January in terms of its exposure month to month,” she stated, to drive value, especially around major events such as the New York Marathon. In the near future, according to Radigan, it will be possible to reconcile the estimated audience with the campaign exposure and correlate it to a business outcome, “such as football to a store visitation. For example, with Wendy's we drove football and we were able to say that by using our street metrics data, we were able to Geo fence locations and venues to understand the impact of those exposed to store visitation.”

For Radigan, StreetMetrics protocol helped to evolve out of home from brand messaging and brand awareness to lower funnel behavioral metrics. “The opportunity I see is out of home is delivering on brand exceptionally well but we're also showing and proving the efficacy of these lower proof points that oftentimes other channels are used to deliver. The ultimate picture is that it's moving the needle for out of home holistically. It puts us on par with digital.”

This effort is somewhat collaborative in that the competitive set that Radigan visualizes is not necessarily other out of home companies. In fact, she sees this innovation as a channel-wide competitive advantage. “We want to grow the pie for transit and ultimately the entire sector. It's really about growing share for industry and getting on par with other channels with the delivery and types of data that they have,” she explained.

The response from the agencies has been gratifying. “Last year we doubled the amount of attribution studies we did. It's a six-fold increase from pre pandemic. I think they're energized. I think that the agencies are really excited about it and they've been thrilled with having the outcomes and measurement that we weren't able to provide years ago. Advertisers are leaning in and using the channel against different KPIs. And we're seeing repeat business.”

Next steps include further benchmarking and, a “continued collaboration with stakeholders, other vendors that offer transit, to really dive in, evaluate the data and look at how we can bring it to market in a meaningful way. Because of the newness around it, it's making sure that we bring in all the stakeholders that are relevant within our own business practices and increase the ease of accessing the data,” she concluded.

 

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Artwork by Charlene Weisler

 

A+E’S Precision and Performance Toolkit Advances Media Buying, Planning and Selling

In an industry that continues to adapt to new technology and an overwhelming choice of data options, A+E’s Precision and Performance toolkit stands out for its flexibility and measure-ability. Erica Barnes, A+E Networks’ Director of Strategic Audience Sales and Partnerships, is enthusiastic about the tool’s capabilities in delivering a true one to one marketing solution to brands.

Precision and Performance has been a critical part of A+E Networks’ toolbox since its launch in 2016. Since then it has continued to outpace media industry sales platforms in innovation and personalization. “When we initially came up with this offering it was rooted around the recognition of two things. One - that television is a mass reach vehicle. We needed to find ways to help people lean in and reach a specific audience to make their media impressions more efficient. Two - to help on the back end with performance measurements that prove we were driving real impact to customer engagement after being exposed on our networks. That was the impetus and those core values haven't changed,” she explained.

The toolkit is customizable and targeted with audience based applications that use a variety of datasets and platforms. “Our team is here to provide flexible solutions for our brand partners. What has changed is the quantity of ways in which we can accomplish those same key goals,” she noted. Perhaps the most important aspect of this latest version is the range of options for a brand. “Our biggest marketplace differentiator is that we are flexible. We offer one size / fits one solution. It is an incredibly collaborative process where our main goal is to help our brands and partners accomplish what they are specifically looking for, in whatever way, shape, or form that comes in,” she asserted.

The areas that the toolkit now covers includes, according to Barnes, “audience targeting capabilities and optimizing media proposals that include business outcomes, measurement for all various areas of the funnel all the way from awareness to search to foot traffic to actual sales of products,” and in addition, “we're continuing to offer business outcomes,” that are guaranteed to, “drive a certain amount of lift to whatever that business outcome guarantee is.”

Precision and Performance boasts range of data options that span linear, digital and addressable and activate in both Nielsen and Non Nielsen alternate currencies like VideoAmp. “We are overlaying content and using data to inform where our content is being placed and amplifying partnerships.  And we are now fully cross platform, offering across both our linear and digital properties,” she added.

An important factor in the value of Precision and Performance is that the results of a campaign are independently assessed. “We work with very, very trusted third party attribution vendors. We do not grade our own homework. It's something that we feel very passionately about. Every type of result that we have is validated and vetted to make sure that the statistical significance makes sense that the data is accurate,” she explained.

The results are then contextualized with results delivered to clients with insights and actionable next steps. “We're not just sending raw data back, saying, ‘Here you go, you figure it out.’ We are looking into what the marketplace was like, what the economy was like in that quarter, how their creative drove incremental value, which was more effective, which didn't work so well,” she noted. The download helps to illuminate, “how we can work to improve together and help media be more effective in driving the consumer engagement they're looking for.”

Arguably the biggest challenge is overcoming industry uncertainty and the rapid pace of change. “The biggest challenge,” she mused, “is industry adoption and standardization because when there are so many different options or paths or ways to look at data or analyze a media campaign it can be challenging to standardize. That's why A+E Networks is part of the Joint Industry Committee for Alternate Currency Development to ensure that we're approaching these changes in the industry in a uniform way and providing that white glove best in class service to our brand partners.” The key here is to be flexible. “We know that the marketplace is challenging. We know our industry is challenging and viewership is changing. How can we be flexible and offer solutions that gets (the client) what they need and not what we need?”

Looking forward, Barnes intends to, “continue to keep a finger on the pulse. Tools are constantly evolving so it's important to evaluate new partners and look into different solutions such as AI and alternate currencies. How can we make sure that we are moving at the speed and honestly little bit ahead of the speed of where our marketplace is going, so that by the time a brand partner needs something, we're already there, and we have those solutions in place.”

 

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Artwork by Charlene Weisler

Matched Audiences Maximize Digital Audio Ad Performance. Engaging Results From a MAGNA SXM Study

A majority of Americans now are digital audio listeners according to Melissa Paris, Vice President of Sales Research and Analytics at SXM Media. To better understand this important population, MAGNA and SXM Media division of SiriusXM partnered on a research study, “Matched Audiences for Unmatched Audio Performance” that looks at the value of using advanced data to better target and reach digital audio listeners.

This study is the first of its kind for audio but it incorporates knowledge gained from previous studies on digital video, Kara Manatt, Executive Vice President of Intelligence Solutions at MAGNA explained. “We've never done anything like this with digital audio testing how the same ad is going to perform with matched versus demographic targeting.” But, she added, “It's not the first of its kind in the sense that we've done similar types of testing with digital video to understand how using these different methods of reaching people can affect ad effectiveness.”

The study used a combination of first party data from participating brands matched against a panel in a clean room and third party data curated by Axiom. Manett noted that brand customers within the first party data were those who have a high propensity to buy in that category, thus going beyond standard demographics. “To me that underscores the uniqueness of the study. The whole purpose of the study is to go beyond demographics and the fact that we are not just the age range we are in. There's much more nuance to groups and individuals than the age range.” Any skew was strictly brand and customer base related.

Among the key findings, Paris explained, was that, “People of all ages are receptive to digital audio ads in general. That was a baseline finding.” The study also found that digital audio ads have, “higher memorability and higher aided recall among matched audiences holistically when we compared them to demographic audiences,” noted Manett.

“When we break it down by audience types, we saw that both first party and third party data sets we used beat out demographics alone. When we looked at unaided and aided recall in both of those metrics, first party drove the highest lifts in general, followed by third party audiences, followed by demographic audiences. This underscores the finding that memorability is much stronger among match audiences,” Manett added.

In measuring the purchase phase, “We saw some interesting nuances. When we looked at people who were specifically new to the category, we saw that matched audiences showed a 3 times higher impact on purchase intent.” For her and of particular interest to advertisers, “We were able to prove that matched audiences are not only more effective, they're also more cost efficient. With their ability to drive purchase intent, we saw that on a cost per person basis that the match to audiences is actually cheaper or more cost efficient than using demographic audiences,” Manett stated.

“This is one of those studies where we saw a confirmation about things we had anticipated and that we were proven right in in terms of the hypothesis we set out to prove,” explained Paris. “But from an external perspective, I think the biggest surprise is the cost efficiency.”

For Manett, creative also impacted the study findings. When measuring audience reactions to the ads themselves, “and people are asked how they feel about those ads, we found if we can make some tweaks on what we know about these audiences, the ads perform much, much better. Even small tweaks in the creative based on the data used to reach these audiences help make the ads work harder. The big finding is making sure that we do our best to customize the creative based on who we're reaching.”

“There's a lot of evidence here for brands to do more exploration when it comes to digital audio. If they're buying digital audio and they're only using demographics this study will hopefully encourage them to try out first party or third party match audiences, and if they are already using matched audiences, this will encourage them to think more about the creative approach. Maybe it's time to start messaging these audiences uniquely more through customized creative if they aren't already,” Paris concluded.

 

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Artwork by Charlene Weisler

 

The Highest Reaching Campaigns All Have Similar Attributes. Revealing Findings From Effectv’s TV Viewership Report

Effectv has just released their latest edition of the bi-annual TV Viewership Report. This wave examines data from the first-half of 2023 data in the multiscreen TV landscape, offering advertisers and marketers revealing takeaways about consumer viewing habits in the Comcast footprint.

Essentially, the report noted that found that successful video ad campaigns, that is, those that provided the greatest reach, shared similar attributes and media mixes. “Brands that optimize reach and results are deploying a common approach with traditional TV as the foundation and streaming as a supplement to reach those hard-to-reach viewers,” the report stated. The importance of traditional TV as a pivotal element for a successful campaign is a fairly stunning revelation considering how linear TV is sometimes dismissed in some campaigns.

The study also revealed that high reach campaigns have a combination of consistent advertising over a broad range of dayparts, endpoints, networks, FAST, VOD and live programming from news and sports. The combination of all of these elements provides a roadmap for advertisers to maximize their reach across platforms.

This current wave analyzed 40,000 multiscreen campaigns. “There are qualifications required for campaigns to be included in a TV Viewership Report analysis,” noted Annie Hagerty, Research and Insights Manager, “We verify that campaigns have enough impressions and investment to be reflective of sufficient delivery, we focus on local advertising campaigns, and all campaigns include traditional TV and Streaming.”

While there are many new ways for consumers to access content and many more varieties of content available, traditional TV leads all other forms in driving reach in a multiscreen advertising campaign (77%).  Streaming and free ad-supported streaming TV plays important roles in attracting to reach light and no-TV viewing households so a careful combination of all viewing forms is vital to reaching as many viewers as possible.

Interestingly while optimizations can vary by ad category, audience, and geography, the essential foundations of a multiscreen campaign remain true across these different factors. “Regardless of ad category, audience, or region, we see that traditional TV provides a scale of reach that advertisers should maximize on, while streaming provides incremental reach and reaches households that are hard to reach through traditional TV due to little or no viewing,” she stated.

The report noted that that 20-30% of investment be applied to streaming regardless of these different factors. “When we’ve researched how to maximize reach among different audiences, we’ve consistently supported this recommendation. We do see audiences, like retirees, maximizing reach closer to a 20% of investment to streaming, while young adults closer to the higher end of the range. Advertisers should keep the behaviors of their audience in mind when deciding on strategies, but a foundation in traditional TV is important to achieve the scale of reach,” she added.

With this latest version of the report, “there’s a great opportunity to see what the common strategies are among our highest reaching multiscreen campaigns to be sure those are being included in advertising strategies,” Hagarty explained. “These high-reaching campaigns shared several strategies including consistent advertising across endpoints and time of day – emphasizing the importance of advertisers following the audience where and when they are watching to maximize reach.”

For those advertisers trying to best structure their most effective campaigns, “It can be difficult to verify the full impact of campaigns when TV and streaming are not being optimized within one strategy. Creating a holistic multiscreen campaign leads to greater opportunity in campaign optimization for the intended audience,” she offered.

Understanding the full media landscape is crucial to campaign success. “If an advertiser has been waiting to adopt a multiscreen strategy, the time is now as our data shows that it is becoming increasingly important to combine traditional TV and Streaming. If an advertiser has a multiscreen campaign, I recommend verifying that your campaign is using traditional TV as a foundation and is inclusive of strategies that reach audiences consistently across many endpoints,” she concluded.

 

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Artwork by Charlene Weisler

CLIK Conference 2023 Reveals Some Surprising Consumer Behaviors

Every year, the CLIK conference presents some of the best examples of consumer research from a range of subjects and sources. 

In partnership between the University of Louisville and Doe-Anderson, This year’s conference offered attendees insights into a range of subjects with an expanded outlook. John Birnsteel, CEO of Doe-Anderson and Professor Michael Barone, Chair Marketing Department at the University of Louisville, College of Business offered their views on some of the top studies at the conference.

Charlene Weisler: What set this year’s conference apart from previous years?

Birnsteel: This year we saw a lot of multicultural themes coming through in the research. In terms of multicultural, we oftentimes think about that as gender or race but this was political – a kind of diversity of political ideology. It's the second year in a row that a paper has been presented looking at political ideology and that was a highlight - the implications that politics can have on consumer decision making.

Weisler: You have several very interesting studies. Tell me about the surprising conclusion to the Status vs Uncertainty study and explain how marketers can fall into stereotyping and what they can do to prevent that.

Birnsteel: This study looked at political leanings and the propensity to adopt what they call a really new product, an “RNP.” What the research showed is that it was a reliable predictor of uptake. But what was surprising was that I think most of us would think, if asked, “Who's more likely to pick up a new product, a progressive or a conservative?” You'd probably say a progressive, but the research showed that messages and a focus on the status of having something new first was really compelling to the conservative audience. So with really new products, conservative ideologically leaning people were more likely to pick that up, as opposed to progressive people who were more compelled by messages of the high performance of the product, not the fact that it was new.

Barone: If you can, through readily available data, identify consumers (by political) ideology, you can position the same product in two different ways, depending on which segment you're trying to reach based on whether it has to be more about status or performance. It could be the same innovation that's out there. You'll just be more effective marking it one way for people who identify more conservatively and marketing it in a different way for people who are more liberal in their mindsets.

Weisler: Looking at some of the major studies at the conference, what was the one biggest surprising conclusion of each study?

Birnsteel: Looking at cultural differences was important for the Top Rated or Best Seller study. Interdependent cultures were more compelled by the top rated, so much so to even pay more for those products.

Birnsteel: The Just Keep It: Returnless Product Replacements Signal Trust and Increase Brand Support study revealed that return-less replacement policies signal trust and increased brand support. It’s an overlooked benefit in the idea that the more trusting you are of people, the more they'll trust you. From a business perspective, I was thinking about the cost implications, you know, how much the price of how much is it worth to give away products that you're not going to get returned back or might not get returned back.

Birnsteel: With the Periodic Donations are a Diagnostic Cue of Donor Charitable Commitment study I was surprised that what was perceived to be greater by consumers was for a company to perhaps give a million dollars over 10 years and show that sustained commitment rather than if a company gives 10 million dollars to a cause as a one-time donation.

Barone: There's literature out there on competitive altruism that kind of speaks to the status signaling effect of really large donations that would provide sort of a different pull towards the one time big splash donations. Rather, within the range studied here, relatively smaller amounts and  more frequent giving is a better signal of credibility and corporate social responsibility efforts.

Birnsteel: With the No Comments study understanding the interpersonal and professional consequences of disabling social media comments, you can see why a company would turn off comments when things get heated, right? You'd think that heated comments would actually turn people off. But the absence of dialogue turned people away. I think this is actually something that people in public relations have known for a long time. Like, you don't say ‘no comment’ because while it shuts down the conversation – it can leave a negative impression.

Birnsteel: The Entitative Effects of the And-Brand Name was a fun one. This paper looked at having brand names with the word “and” in it and the implications it has on consumer mindsets. I think the presenter actually reproduced Doe-Anderson’s logo into Doe & Anderson. It substantiated the belief that that a group with “and” in their brand name can connote more credibility than an individual because consumers think there's more accountability there and more trust.

This article first appeared in Mediapost.com