NBC Kicks Off Upfront Week with an Unprecedented "Experience"
By Ed Martin TV / Video Download Archives
Even though it has been selling its new 52-week 2008-09 schedule to advertisers since the first week of April, NBC nevertheless decided to pull out all the stops and throw the mother of all Upfront week parties on Monday.
Actually, it wasn't just a party for NBC, although all the elements of a traditional NBC Upfront bash were in evidence, including dozens of stars from new and returning NBC series. (Their presence was a surprise to many attendees who had been led to believe that the networks this week would be producing less talent than at previous Upfront extravaganzas.) Rather, the NBC Universal Experience, as it was called, was a massive promotional spectacle on behalf of all of the entertainment properties and advertising outlets available through NBCU, including all of its cable networks, its syndicated properties, its digital platforms and its movie division.
The overall response to the extravaganza among advertisers and journalists, some slightly shell shocked by the density of it all, seemed to be pleasantly positive. If nothing else, NBCU made a concerted effort to put the show back in its business, which is supposed to be what entertainment companies are all about.
A substantial area within 30 Rockefeller Plaza was converted into a theme park-like pavilion of high-tech exhibits and displays showcasing elements from all NBCU areas, with a head-spinning assortment of personalities and characters from its many franchises on hand to mix, mingle and, at times, interview each other for live telecast on digital monitors scattered throughout the event.
Lights flashed, monitors played special messages from NBC talent, warriors from American Gladiators engaged in combat and threatened to burst out of their spandex, Janice Dickinson paraded around with models from her Oxygen series The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency,briefcase babes fromDeal or No Deal handed out flash drives that are keys to contests, and Nancy O'Dell of Access Hollywood interviewed just about everyone on site. Today show stars Ann Curry and Meredith Vieira posed with advertisers, while MSNBC's Chris Matthews was perched on a small set, ready to telecast his show in the middle of the merry madness. More than one Mummy (from the Universal feature film series) posed for pictures. Personalities from NBC's Sunday Night Football signed footballs. CNBC's Suze Orman and Jim Cramer talked at length, presumably about finance, with interested guests. KITT, the car from Knight Rider, was waiting to say hello at the end.
NBC didn't waste one square inch promoting the various divisions of its entertainment empire. Even the wrappers on the candy bars that beautiful women handed to guests were put to use. The printing on the wrappers read: “The NBC Experience Store: A Sweet Sponsorship Opportunity. Over 3 Million Visitors. Over 93 Million Passers-by. Over 800,000 Merchandise and Tour Transactions. An unlimited number of place-based, integrated sponsorship opportunities.” A point person's name, phone number and e-mail were included.
Once guests had made their way through all of this information overload they were deposited into the actual party, where mingling could begin in earnest. Among the guests who caused the most excitement: Several cast members from 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights (two series much beloved by the advertising community) and former Saturday Night Live player Jimmy Fallon. Earlier in the day NBC made the formal announcement that Fallon would succeed Conan O'Brien as the host of Late Night when O'Brien replaces the soon to be unseated Jay Leno over at The Tonight Show.
In his whimsical remarks to guests at the party, O'Brien likened the “Experience” to a German disco. He also told the crowd, “To give you the true NBCU experience tonight, half of you will be let go!”
Riffing on NBC's expressed intent to incorporate commercial messages into most of its programming content, O'Brien said that certain NBC series would be changing their titles. Among the new hybrids: My Name is Earl Grey Lipton Tea, Law & Order: Crate & Barrel and Friday Night Light Miller Beer.
Ed Martin
Ed Martin is the chief television and content critic for MediaVillage. He has written about television and internet programming for several Myers publications since 2000, including The Myers Report, The Myers Programming Report, MediaBizBloggers a…
