Like the hybrid Prius, the hybrid event rose to fame, but now faces an uncertain future.

In-person events seem to be making a strong comeback among brands and event planners, even with Covid cases rising in certain places. This year’s SXSW, as well as the IAB upfronts and NewFronts, were held as hybrid events.

Big picture: As in-person events become normalized again, some experts predict the term “hybrid” will fall by the wayside. But that doesn’t mean the option to attend virtually is going anywhere.

Online, just fine?

Doug Baird is president and founder of event-marketing platform RainFocus, which helps host, track, and manage events online and in-person.

• He said one benefit of virtual events he’s seen over the last two years is better metrics on factors like attendance or “engagement,” which RainFocus measures by looking at whether attendees search for speakers, click into exhibitor booths, download resources, etc.
• “An attendee that logs into the attendee portal but doesn’t take any clear action and does not interact would not be considered an engaged one,” he said.

Ad ops: Taylor Gehrcke, director of events at the UN Foundation, told Marketing Brew that virtual and hybrid events also “offer a lot more marketing opportunity in terms of ads and a lot more opportunities for sponsorships and branding across the page.” For the UN Foundation, he said virtual programming has made it easier to reduce the environmental impact of travel, bring in speakers on tight schedules, and reach more people around the world.

¿Por qué no los dos?

Baird said he expects in-person event numbers to continue to grow into the fall and for the term “hybrid” to leave marketers’ vocabulary as in-person and virtual events are used for different purposes.

Daphne Hoppenot, founder of event-planning company The Vendry, told Marketing Brew that fewer than 5% of the company’s RFPs are for hybrid events, and the term hasn’t really stuck among event planners.

• Hoppenot said she expects to see more big events to just add livestreaming now that people are used to having the option to watch at home, but that’s about it in terms of shifts. She likens it to how people livestreamed Apple’s product announcement events before hybrid events were a thing.

Missed connections: Big picture, she said she thinks events will go back to being primarily in-person because people want to socialize IRL, and it’s hard to create the same experience for virtual and in-person attendees. “While that might seem noble, I don’t think it really matches reality,” she said. According to a March report by SmartBrief, the primary reason marketers attended in-person events was for networking purposes.

Near, far, wherever you are

Even with the option to attend events IRL, some are more bullish on the future of hybrid events and creating an equally engaging experience at home.

“I think that [event] planners are saying, ‘Yes, it’s going back onsite,’ because they are able to…feel that magic. It’s harder for them to feel the engagement of a hybrid meeting. But what we’re seeing statistically is that the attendees want the choice,” Lizzie Suiter, head of corporate strategy at event-venue company Convene, told Marketing Brew.

Keep reading here.—KH

We spent a good portion of last month covering the world of streaming. Makes sense, as the space is only getting more important for marketers as major players like Disney+ and Netflix dip their toes into the advertising pool.

Here’s what we wrote about:

A crackdown on streaming service password-sharing is coming

Password-sharing is fast becoming one of the industry’s costliest problems. And it’s a tricky one to solve, partly because streamers admit they actually benefit from temporary password-sharing when it comes to building brand affinity and growth.

🪶Streaming services are still fighting to have ultra-light ad loads

The race is on for the fewest ads. Streamers are finding themselves in a balancing act between giving viewers the least-disruptive experience possible and finding ways for advertisers to get their messaging across during shows.

Product placement is going to take over your favorite show

Streamers like Peacock and Amazon Prime Video are cooking up ways for advertisers to bake their products directly into programming. How? Through virtual product placement, which involves digitally placing items, like a can of soda or bag of chips, into a show after filming has wrapped.

Streamers are creating companion podcasts for superfans of their shows

People like to listen to podcasts about their favorite shows. Streamers have taken that simple insight and run with it, creating “companion podcasts” for fans that will keep them engaged in between seasons.

Read all the stories in one place here.—MS

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

All about me: Gartner found that consumers and marketers have different definitions of “relevance” when it comes to ads.

Netflix: Five questions advertisers should be asking about its plans for an ad-supported tier.

Read the room: Giving a virtual talk soon? Here are six ways you can help keep attendees engaged and interested.

Get the lay of the TV land(scape): Marketers gotta stay ahead of the game in the constantly changing world of TV advertising. Tatari partnered with eMarketer to create a report that breaks down the current trends, data, and forecasts. Check it out here.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

Looking to hire the best marketers out there? Submit your job openings to our new, free Marketing Brew Job Board!

Today’s featured openings:

• Sr. Director - Brand Marketing at Validity
• Social Media Strategist at Tala
• Growth Marketing Manager, Core Networking at Alignable

See more jobs or post your job opportunities here.

About a year after the NCAA started allowing college athletes to profit from their names, images, and likenesses (NILs), the policy is still causing confusion and controversy among some in college athletics.

Most Americans, however, still support the new NIL policy, according to research from Morning Consult.

Brand deals: More than half (58%) of US adults believe student athletes should be paid for endorsing or partnering with brands. That share has increased by 11 percentage points since Morning Consult first asked the question in February 2019.

Licensed products: A similar share (60%) of Americans said college athletes should be able to license their names or likenesses for video games or products like jerseys, up eight points from the first survey.

Autographs: 55% expressed support for college athletes earning money from signing autographs, an increase of 10 points from 2019.

The most recent survey was conducted May 3–5 among 2,210 US adults.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Corporate pledges and promises related to climate change aren’t cutting it
• Buyers are earmarking ad spend for new ad-supported tiers
• Agencies are investing in VR headsets and other tech to simulate IRL work experiences