Nat Geo Channel Takes Upfront Attendees Where None Have Gone Before

Originally Published: March 15, 2005

Tomorrow evening, guests of the National Geographic Channel will gather at Grand Central Terminal's Metrazur Restaurant for the network's annual Upfront event, and only the most jaded of agency and advertiser executives will leave unimpressed. Executives from Nat Geo invited me to preview the extraordinary experience that many of their guests will share tomorrow, making me one of the first non-official guests to ever tour the secret depths of Grand Central Terminal.

One hundred ten feet below the lowest level of Grand Central there exists one of the world's great secrets, a massive terminal that is home for a massive energy plant and a hidden train platform that once served as FDR's private entry and exit into New York (and was recently the emergency exit route for President Bush.) The sub-basement doesn't exist on any map or chart and is accessible by only two manually operated hidden elevators. During World War II troops were stationed there with orders to intern anyone who discovered the area and to shoot on-site anyone making their way to the basement with sand. (I'll share some of the riddles about Grand Central Terminal I learned during my two-hour tour last week, but none of the solutions, so read on.)

The experience got me thinking about the efforts made by television networks to interest, impress and motivate media buyers, planners and advertisers. Since the earliest days of network TV, senior agency and client executives have been the networks' guests at the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, Master's Golf Tournament, London, Paris, Australia, and almost any location that will reinforce a network's selling message. Last weekend, The Weather Channel flew a select group of executives to Quebec's Ice Castle for its Upfront presentation, one of the year's most inspired and creative efforts.

AC-DC Power Converter deep below Grand Central Terminal

But Nat Geo has managed to uncover an exceptional opportunity right in the center of the advertising and media capitol, at Grand Central Terminal (Grand Central Station is a subway station). Tour guides will transport all executives, not just the senior few, to a place none of them have ever been before or will likely ever have the opportunity to go again.

As the Upfront season moves into full swing, those who are now inundated with more than 40 invitations will invariably, by the time May rolls around, be burnt out on events and totally spoiled by the attention. Network executives, conversely, have but one event (more in the case of multiple networks and markets) to go 'all-in' on. Network sales execs need to pull out all the stops to attract key clients and once attracted, network promotion folks battle against tremendously competitive odds to capture their attention and, even more difficult, impress them.

As more and more networks, syndicators and other media companies compete for "Upfront" attention and credibility, media agency and advertiser executives are the beneficiaries of largess costing an estimated $10 to $15 million in aggregate investments. There are great parties, unbelievable music, stars at every turn, delicious food and plenty of drink. Typically, the presentations are well-planned, carefully orchestrated, and intellectually focused. Rarely, however, is a network able to achieve true differentiation and relevance. Rarely is an Upfront event successful in effectively communicating a network's brand promise while truly delivering a unique experience.

As guests at National Geographic's event Wednesday enjoy such an experience, assuming they are as impressed by being among the rare few to gain entrance to Grand Central Terminal's hallowed and hidden past as I was, they should take a moment to be grateful not only to the network for its creativity and investment, but they should also extend their appreciation to the entire television industry.

And they should understand their responsibility to avoid the hubris that easily comes with royal treatment. There is a deep importance to the Upfront planning period that has never been as critical as it is today. With the partying and fun comes a responsibility to do more than repeat last year's media plan with minor tweaking. With the advancing impact of new media technologies, the accelerated distribution of digital networks, networks' investments in enhanced marketing solutions, and encouraging new accountability methodologies, media planners and buyers have new, exciting, and somewhat ominous challenges.

More than ever, the propaganda put forth at Upfront presentations actually has the potential to influence media budget allocations. There is a responsibility to give every medium a fair hearing, to offer feedback on sales messages, and separate the partying and pleasure from the hard work of Upfront planning and buying.

FDR's Private Elevator directly into the Waldorf-Astoria

The Grand Central Terminal tour promotes National Geographic's new series "Megastructures," and the first filmed exploration of Grand Central planned for December. Why was a secret train station with a 50-foot long concrete platform and special 25-foot long elevator built during WWII, even thought the builders knew people would never use it? Why do Grand Central Terminal officials still deny its existence? What are the secrets of an armor plated train car that remains locked and never opened? What caused the black soot covering the walls and ceiling of Grand Central Terminal? Where in the Terminal can you whisper and be heard loud and clear several feet away? Why is there a small hole (near Pisces) in the ceiling?

Wednesday's National Geographic tours represent the first time the public has ever been allowed into the secret recesses of Grand Central Terminal. Credit National Geographic Channel with an inspired offering to the ad community. It's one of many well-deserved tributes to this community that will be held in many venues and with many different messages over the next few months.