NewFronts, Upfronts: Ad Confusion on All Fronts - Gary Reisman-NewMediaMetrics

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Someone asked me recently if I thought original Internet-video programming is on track to significantly siphon ad dollars from TV.

Having attended several presentations at the digital NewFronts over the past few weeks, it's clear to me that the word "TV" will be irrelevant within the next decade and likely will disappear from the lexicon altogether.

Quality content eventually will be available on whatever platform viewers want it on, and what we now call "networks," be it the old definition ABC, FOX, etc., or newer definitions including AOL, YouTube channels, etc., all will be blurred into one content map that consumers will navigate seamlessly.

Clearly, HBO's ad campaign tagline from several years ago was ahead of its time: "It's not TV. It's HBO."

AOL, Yahoo! and many others are pouring bucket loads of money and resources into original video content and long-form programming and partnerships. So much so, that they felt like the Upfronts of yesteryear. At some of the presentations, especially AOL's, I closed my eyes for a minute and could have sworn I was at a broadcast network upfront, what with the opulent settings, food, drink, and the same 90-second clips of new "TV-show" content presented by both executives and celebrities.

That said, what seems to be lacking in these digital upfronts is clear differentiation and a brand essence for each player. For instance, Yahoo and AOL each put forth a very broad offering of content that included among other things comedy, entertainment, lifestyle, health, finance, news and sports. Both presentations ran for nearly three hours, which seemed a little overdone to be honest.

But you wonder, what differentiates one content provider or online "network" from the others? What type of content do these companies stand for and how would they define their viewing audiences?

Without a clear proposition about their offering and whom it's for – both companies run the risk of not being for, or attracting, anyone in particular.

When cable first came into the mass market, each channel had a very clear purpose and intended audience make up. They still do.

You think of Bravo and an audience comes to mind. You think of Discovery and a different audience comes to mind. Similarly AMC, Comedy Central, HGTV all have unique "spaces, "unique audience complexions, and important, unique offerings.

Alloy Digital's NewFront presentation was probably the only one that made me think it created its content expressly for an intended audience – millennials. Its content strategy is apparent on its web site and was loud and clear in its NewFront event. Advertisers have a clear idea about the audience that might tap into Alloy's content offerings. In that sense, Alloy is on the right track to deliver value for advertisers who are interested in targeting millennials.

What also struck me in all of the NewFront presentations was the ridiculously high number of impressions each presenter claimed to have. Instead of millions, digital channels can claim to have billions of impressions.

Are these numbers relevant? If I'm an advertiser investing in digital media I need to know a few critical things to make some decisions about which content is more valuable for my brand(s)? Why is one digital offering better than another at reaching and engaging my targets? And will my ROI objectives be met being on your "network" vs. another?

These very salient questions were lacking in the presentations I saw, and naturally, so were the answers to them.

In today's media marketplace, which is overloaded and fragmented, advertisers without unlimited resources need to know which 20 percent of all impressions will drive 80 percent of advertising value.

Based on what I saw, well, good luck figuring that out.

Gary Reisman is co-founder of NewMediaMetrics, a content-investment and brand-alignment company that recently launched the LEAP™ Content Investment Marketplace.

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