Why Creatives Should Attend Upfronts + NewFronts
By: Martin Agency Director of Brand Purpose Communications Doug Zanger
[ Illustration By Martin Technical Designer Nicole Pernell ]
The media and ad buying world is gearing up for one of the most intense sprints: Upfronts and NewFronts. Traditionally, these were lavish—sometimes over the top—in-person affairs leading to multi-year deals that chart courses for networks, media owners, publishers and platforms for the year and beyond.
This was the time for networks to tout new shows, roll out their stars and generally wow the media buying crowds. When NewFronts came along, it opened other opportunities for brands to get in front of consumers, with fresh technology widening the playing field. If one tracks the Upfront/NewFront history arc, the sheer volume of opportunity for brands to explore is breathtaking.
Yet, for the most part, recipients of Upfronts/NewFronts messaging remain primarily with an agency's media function. This begs an important question: With so much media-rich territory to mine—and the fact that agencies help execute work after deals are done—why aren’t creatives involved early in the process?
We spoke to Martin Agency VP and Group Media Director, Becca Grimes, about why she sees these two tentpole events as the biggest integrated planning opportunity of the year for brands—if media and creative link up.
Possibilities Versus Placements
According to Grimes, brands are looking for more integration among agency partners. It’s becoming a frequent ask—and expectation—that agencies help brands establish consistency throughout the consumer journey. Yet, the process between media and creative is usually mutually exclusive.
“Briefings happen at different times,” says Grimes. “The media team has gone off and planned everything and then the creative team gets kicked off to create the campaign. There’s a natural disconnect between the two and the industry doesn’t take advantage of more integrated planning from the beginning.”
The result is serviceable, but the output often lacks the opportunity to advance a brand narrative through idea-centric media planning (aka coloring outside the media lines) which goes beyond standard or predictable placements.
Case in point: Seeing the same 15-second commercial 25 times during March Madness, versus Buffalo Wild Wings showing up first in instances where a tournament game went into overtime (aka intentional rotation planning for the win). Media and creative specialists working together earlier in the Upfronts and NewFronts and throughout the planning process is made for breakout moments.
“Too often, efficiency is valued more than relevance. And the brief is often put through the filter of deliverables, versus one of context,” says Grimes.
Grimes believes the industry we have today, full of work that’s white noise people ignore, stems from the silos. She referenced an Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science study that indicates a whopping 84% of ads go unnoticed or ignored.
Ads that interrupt versus entertain.
“As a media person, that number is terrifying,” she said. “Marketers can’t afford to waste 84% of their budget, and we can’t afford putting more white noise out into the world.”
Another issue is the type of conversations that take place. According to Grimes, having only media people in the room (or on a Zoom presentation) leads to a specific discussion about the nuts and bolts of media instead of tailored conversations centered around a brand’s creative ambitions and strategic goals for the year.
“When you have media and creative together, it signals a larger discussion,” adds Grimes. “It brings in more thinking about consumer perspectives and a brand narrative that can enhance the performance of investments.”
Creative Media In Action
Getting creative collaboration going earlier in the planning process—especially during Upfronts and NewFronts—can open unconventional doors to solving business problems.
Earlier in Grimes’ career, her agency’s client, Beats by Dre, faced a challenge in building an Upfront deal with Fox. There was plenty of added value (think bumpers, some of the more rudimentary ad units), and the goal was to get in front of the NFL audience.
The placement pinch? Bose is a major sponsor of the league, and there was no way that Beats was going to make it into anything “officially” NFL, including any promotions on players.
A creative media solution was putting Beats headphones on Fox’s robot mascot (called Cletus), an omnipresent part of the network’s broadcast package. A dull bumper became a dynamic and unmissable brand experience linked to its creative platform.
“How often do creatives get the chance to get into a playground like this?” Asks Grimes. “This is where they can use their skill and talent to think about the customer journey in a completely different way. I wish this would happen more frequently than it does today.”
Another powerful example comes from the nascent, yet increasingly sophisticated practice of AI marketing (will be a hot topic at this years’ NewFronts). Penske Transportation Solutions worked with IBM Watson and Martin to create an ad unit with built-in chat functionality, which met customers in the places provoking questions like transportation trades and weather.com.
Keeping people in the digital environment they were in, the chat unit immediately helped business decision makers—overwhelmed by increasing workloads stemming from the pandemic—navigate the volatility of changes in the transportation industry. Severe weather causing delivery delays, passage of new government regulations and ever-changing truck tech sparks a flurry of questions:
- How can I get an at-a-glance view of my fleet operations?
- What are ways leasing can help me free up capital?
- What types of tools exist for managing my fleet data?
Nearly 80% of freeform responses (end-users asking open questions) came from small business decision-makers. What could have been simply an ad unit became an invaluable resource—especially with IBM Watson’s natural language technology—for an audience seeking answers to business-critical messages.
Focusing Your Creative Media Lens
These became examples of how creativity can help media teams revamp a media plan and, crucially, create a multiplier effect boosting the brand. It’s the difference between melting into a sea of sponsor logos or becoming much more visible.
“This goes back to the canvas available to us,” says Grimes. “A media person may have specific strategic and tactical mandates—and won’t think about the context of the creative campaign. What creative minds bring is a different perspective to brands than media people. And, having them as part of the Upfront and NewFront process can help balance ROI with unignorable creativity that helps clients thrive.”
Both the Upfronts and NewFronts will be held online, so grab a virtual seat:
- 2021 NewFronts run May 6 through May 7
- 2021 Upfronts continue through May 19 (with individual days/times by publisher)
There’s still time to take these actions before the tentpole events get into full swing:
- Pre-Upfronts and NewFronts, have the strategic and creative teams walk the media team through the latest brand positioning. This will give media teams a new perspective as they attend publisher meetings.
- During the Upfronts and NewFronts, invite your creative teams! Set up viewing parties for account, creative and strategy teams to watch any live stream meeting of consequence. This will allow them to see first hand any emerging tech or content to inform future collaborations.
If your teams can’t connect before these events, book time on calendars now for post-event conversations:
- Set up a time post Upfronts and NewFronts for the media team to brief the creative team on key updates they learned and what they are prioritizing.
- Work collaboratively to identify opportunities for media placements through the lens of a brand’s creative platform—where we show up should advance or enhance the brand story we’re telling.
Another option for keeping up to date is peeking at the continuing—and wall-to-wall—coverage in the advertising, marketing and entertainment trades.
Or, you can just ask Schitt Creek’s Catherine O’Hara what she thinks.
We want to hear and see from you, too. If you’re itching to know something or have a question or comment we can start a dialogue on—email: katie.walley-wiegert@martinagency.com.
