TV

What media buyers want out of 2021’s upfronts

2020’s upfronts...weren’t exactly a roaring ’20s party. Until last year, the upfronts took place in glitzy New York City showrooms, giving TV networks the chance to wine and dine media buyers while bragging about their slate of programming for the upcoming year. 

The goal? Convince media buyers to spend their clients’ ad $$ with them.

Of course, 2020 was different. Presentations went virtual, advertisers demanded better cancelation terms due to uncertainty, and production (not to mention live sports) was largely a no-go. 

Looking ahead: A year later, it’s time for networks and media buyers to do it all again. Next week, companies including Disney (which owns ABC), NBCUniversal, and ViacomCBS will give their presentations.

Ahead of the hoopla, Marketing Brew spoke with several media buyers about their hopes for this year’s upfronts, which include—beyond better pricing, which we know they’re not gonna get—better programming and clarity on streaming inventory. 

Better programming

Last year, the pandemic shut down lots of television production. 

• The Olympics? Postponed. 
• “The Bachelorette”? Had dates in hotel conference rooms instead of strolling through the French countryside. 

This year, with each passing day a step closer to something resembling normalcy, optimism is in the air.

• “I think people are excited for programming to come back from a TV perspective, having taken six to eight months off,” Phil Case, president and chief client officer at Max Connect Marketing, told Marketing Brew. 
• Empower’s Senior Director of National Broadcast, Susan McClellan, said she’s looking forward to the return of popular dramas like “This is Us” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” For her clients, of course—not just because she’s a huge “Grey’s” fan herself. 

McClellan also hopes for a solid new comedy series that could juice viewership, as “comedies are always difficult for networks. I think dramas seem to do a little bit better. I don't know that we've had a really successful comedy since ‘Modern Family,’” she explained.  

According to Vinny Rinaldi, head of investment and activation at GroupM’s Wavemaker, last year drove home that whole “content really is king” adage.

“I think it's super important, now more than ever,” he said. 

Click here to read the full story. — PB

DEI

where their is

Last summer, lots of agencies made promises and pledges regarding diversity in the advertising ecosystem. 

Now, some of those agencies are turning those promises into reality, revealing their plans to boost media investment in minority owned businesses.

Yesterday, holding company Dentsu announced a “stand-alone” division that will connect minority-owned businesses (as many as 500, according to The Wall Street Journal), with ad buyers. Dentsu declined to tell Marketing Brew specifically who these media companies are.

Earlier this week, GroupM said it’s asking clients to invest at least 2% of their annual media budgets in Black-owned media. And last week, IPG Mediabrands said it’s “committing to invest a minimum of 5% in Black-owned media across all of its clients in aggregate by 2023,” per Ad Age.

On the brand side, General Motors recently announced plans to allocate 4% of its US ad spending to Black-owned media companies by 2022, climbing to 8% by 2025. This decision came after Byron Allen and several other Black media executives publicly flayed the brand in the press. 

• Today, the automaker is hosting an upfront specifically for minority-owned media outlets.

Zoom out: Marketers routinely say they want to reach more diverse audiences with content that actually looks like those audiences. But complaints from minority owned businesses are proof that these promises fall short. These high profile initiatives might be more than just words, but we'll have to see the receipts. — RB

SPONSORED BY LISTRAK

70 Billion Is One of the Larger Numbers

It also happens to be the number of messages Listrak analyzed to compile its 2021 Ecommerce Email Benchmark Report. Sev-en-ty BILLION.

Whew, let’s back up for a second. Listrak is the cutting-edge integrated marketing platform built specifically to drive results for retailers—in other words, they know a thing or two when it comes to increasing engagement, revenue, and loyalty at every point of interaction. 

So what’s in this report? Think benchmark results for 70,000,000,000 emails sent by 1,000+ retailers and brands across 11 different types of email campaigns in 2020. 

Listrak didn’t just hoover up the data on email campaign metrics either; they broke them down into key findings, such as:

• Increased send volumes don’t degrade engagement rates
• Personalized product recommendations increase conversions 
• A single integrated platform is crucial

Want more insights based on a rather large number of marketing emails? Get Listrak’s 2021 Ecommerce Email Benchmark Report here. 

CAMPAIGNS

I love ya, tomorrow

A year after brands deluged us with “uncertain times” ads, they’re now trying to convince us we’re thisclose to normalcy:

• Extra’s new commercial imagines a “not too distant” future when people (literally) can’t keep their hands off each other.
• Pepsi envisions a “better tomorrow” in an ad that shows packed stadiums, crowded planes, and more. 
• Guinness tells us “Good things come to those who wait” with a campaign that features friends gathering (indoors) for a pint.

As more people become vaccinated, and guidance regarding masks and social distancing softens, advertisers are striking an upbeat tone as they project messages of hope and a return to...fun, or something like it. 

But Lindsey Roeschke, a Gartner analyst who specializes in consumer and cultural insights, told Marketing Brew brands “have to be really cautious about walking that line between talking about life as normal again and still being in that Covid mindset.”

• According to Roeschke, “people still have a lot of concerns about going back to life as it was before.” 
• For instance, Gartner research from March found that fewer than half (48%) of respondents would eat indoors at a restaurant once they’re completely vaccinated. 

Our takeaway: Maybe Extra got it right? Roeschke said the gum brand’s ad, which shows people falling out of trees and off boats while kissing, feels more like a parody of what a post-pandemic world looks like—which could explain why it’s gotten rave reviews. It’s not too grounded in reality.  “Because it’s extreme, you don’t take it quite as seriously,” she explained. — MS

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• New York State Senator Kevin Thomas reintroduced privacy legislation that “gives consumers control over how their personal data is used.”
• Disney said it has around 159 million total subscribers across its streaming services, including Hulu and Disney+, missing expectations.
• Yelp will let advertisers pick their targeting locations instead of limiting them to their physical location.
• Rotten Tomatoes now has a streaming service that will debut on The Roku Channel.
• Airbnb said in a shareholder letter that its “Made possible by Hosts” campaign increased traffic and brought more first-time bookers to its platform. But the brand declined to provide any specific figures. Hmmm.
• LeBron James learns to salsa in his first spot for Mtn Dew Rise.

SPONSORED BY LINKEDIN MARKETING SOLUTIONS

When you know it, we support you showing it. There are tons of types of marketing, but showing off your chops consistently and reliably is one of our favorites. That’s why we look to places like LinkedIn for the latest thought leadership from our fave business professionals and brands. We even wrote a post to prove it. 

FRENCH PRESS

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

Instagram: This infographic explains what’s working on Instagram in 2021 to drive high engagement. 

Communication: Sure, hard skills like coding are great, but soft skills are just as important. Check out the 15 essential communication skills that digital marketers should have.

Holidays: If it’s your brand’s first time acknowledging Juneteenth, here’s a guide to celebrating the holiday on social media.

How the best connect: 9 out of 10 Ad Age 200 brands have chosen Roku, and for good reason—their message can reach households with an estimated 155M people nationwide. TV starts here.* 

METRICS AND MEDIA

Quote: “We demand an investigation into how his published views on women and people of color were missed or ignored, along with a clear plan of action to prevent this from happening again”—a petition signed by more than 2,000 Apple employees following the hiring of Antonio García Martínez, a former Facebook product manager. Shortly after, Apple said García Martínez was no longer with the company.

Stat: 64% of LGBTQ respondents reported experiencing online harassment, according to a recent GLAAD survey.

Read: Okay, maybe it isn’t necessarily marketing related, but you should read this deep dive about the startups making “high-fidelity” avatars, from Morning Brew’s own TikTok king, Dan Toomey. Because before you know it, these companies are going to be helping brands sell something.

ICYMI

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

• Why advertisers are flocking to podcasts
• What to do after getting a gig as a marketing intern
• How to sell Connecticut