NATPE: The Marketing Message

The writers may have stopped writing, but they are certainly helping the industry re-write the rules of engagement when it comes to the way television is going to exist from here on in. And the systematic dismantling of the insane upfront program is just one of those changes we will see this season.

Equal parts definitive and non-committal, yesterday’s cliffhanging keynote address from master marketer and NBC President, Jeff Zucker, stated that the end of the upfronts is imminent and the way in which programming will be pitched, developed, scheduled and sold will soon change forever, beginning with sweeping changes at NBCU. Looking to the more digestible film model of development and launch, NBC will begin developing programming year round, staggering premieres throughout the calendar year.

Clearly there are multi-million dollar bottom-line benefits to canceling the upfront showcase extravaganza. It not only provides more flexibility with format, advertising and scheduling, but also allows for the potential to gauge how viewers respond to content before actually committing to a colossal monetary outlay.

NBC may produce more backdoor, long-format pilots, a move that not only gives audiences an opportunity to sample what may or may not be to come, but also provides producers with film-quality product that can be sold many times over in other markets. In other words, a big expensive pilot flop is no longer a big expensive waste.

But perhaps most exciting to the Promax/BDA community—those fundamentally responsible for driving the actual value of those pieces of entertainment content—is that this paradigm shift puts marketing and promo departments in a much needed partnership position with programming executives. Developing content year round allows for a more creative and collaborative development schedule, as well as the freedom to explore new revenue opportunities that shift out of the traditional ‘marketing’ realm.

Of course marketers will continue to utilize innovative and creative tools to drive audiences towards content, but now they’ll participate in developing other meaningful revenue streams that contribute exponentially to their organizations’ success. It’s not just about the program… it’s about the product.

Advertisers have been clamoring for the upfront demise for ages, and now that time appears to be here. Surely, it will take time for everything to play out... NBC may very well revert back to some kind of model that resembles what was once known as ‘the upfront.’ But, for now, we'll just have to revel in curiosity as we watch and see how the industry comes together and contributes to the re-writing of that script.

Just in case any of our esteemed members are wondering why their new president is blogging rather than formulating the strategic vision for the organizatioin, rest assured that I'm a master multitasker, submitting this blog entry via my BlackBerry directly from the market floor.

And I've got to tell you that this has to be the coolest television conference I've ever attended. I'm completely surrounded by flashy media content playing on myriad devices with the attending public completely transfixed on the multimedia displays.

Music blares, lights flash and the audience appears to be engaged. And looking around, I'm amazed at how hip television people have become. Nary a face passes by that isn't studded with piercings. Barely an individual without a bodyful of ink. Television executives abound decked out in skater shoes, hoodies and low-hanging jeans. And suits? What's a suit? It seems the Sweeney crowd has finally tapped into a key demo mindframe, trading their briefcases for boarding gear.

And then it dawns on me. I'm at the wrong conference. Yes, somehow I've missed the escalators and ended up at SIA, the action sports conference that shares the hotel convention center with NATPE. I ask a 22-year-old androgynous snowboarding hipster with blue hair and a tongue ring for directions, and it tells me to follow the suits. Great.

Will I ever be exposed to the golden answer of the new business paradigm? Will I have the opportunity to profess the fundamental importance and new-found relevance of Promax/BDA? Wiill I ever get to that Jeff Zucker keynote? Follow the suits... Follow the suits.

It’s 12:51 a.m. and I’ve got my feet up after a full day of meeting mobile content producers, multiplatform executives, press delegates and … Jeff Zucker.

In a few hours, Jeff will deliver what is sure to be an inspiring and insightful keynote address to a room full of television pundits eager to hear about the future of this powerful medium we call television.

As it turns out, Sir Zucker (Jeff to close friends) also was here to present a special honor to his longtime mentor and friend, Bob Wright, chairman of GE and former president of NBC. The honor came in the form of the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, which is meant to recognize leaders in television programming. Also accepting awards were Nancy Tellem of CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group, Peter Roth of Warner Bros. Television and Mark Itkin of William Morris Agency.

What struck me about these awards is not only that the impetus behind them appeared appropriately genuine, but also that the recipients seemed truly honored. There are a lot of awards out there in televisionland, but these particular ones waxed truly poetic with sincere acceptances, honest appreciation and an air of gratitude rarely seen in awards presentations. Of course, I never knew Brandon Tartikoff, but after this heartfelt reception, I sure wish I had.

The rest of the day was devoted primarily to pitches and presentations from some of the leading mobile content providers in the Mobile++ segment of NATPE. Sitting with some friends from one of the leading branding agencies to the television market, I found it to be a familiar dynamic to watch the hawkers of well-funded, trailblazing technologies touting the fundamental benefits of their wares and claiming their piece of the television business economic pie.

Truly, it seemed as though we were transported back to the late 1990s, where presentations abounded touting the potential and possibilities of interactive television.

During these presentations, we often would be treated (and in some cases, we’d be the ones treating) to a display of all of the capabilities of iTV. Whoa—look at all the things you can activate through VBI! Every presentation was an exploration—or explosion—of everything available to the particular box we were demo-ing. Looking back, we made some pretty radical mistakes in pitching this business.

The truth is, we should have positioned our (or any) technology, not as an alternate or more compelling medium to traditional television, but rather complementary ... a marketing and promotional tool that helps (local or national) stations to drive audiences back to the core brand.

Like much of the mobile content demonstrations I saw today, we were showing everything (and I mean everything) you can do on that particular platform. Unfortunately, we didn’t learn until much later that, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should.

Don’t get me wrong. Having the capability to broadcast news or information content on a mobile device is nice. But as a network affiliate or local station, if you can show me how to consistently drive eyeballs back to my channel … well, that’s better. A lot better.

I haven’t been to NATPE in 10 years. And by the looks of the torrential rainstorm quenching the thirst of the Santa Monica mountains surrounding Burbank airport, I may be missing another. Either that, or I'll have to swim there.

The Southwest lady tells us that we’ll be taking off within the week, which is nice, I figure, since we’ve just ordered another round of Bloody Marys. As Mr. Glass-half-full, I figure that the delay gives me some time to think about what I expect from this long-overdue visit to the world’s largest television syndication event.

Unless you’ve been living on Neptune since 1998, you know that the international business of television has dramatically changed since the first episode of "The Sopranos." From a distribution, technological and business perspective, the notion of television is so radically different that I wonder if the market will resemble anything I experienced on my last go-round. My assumption is that most of the usual suspects will be shopping, but will iTunes be there? Joost? YouTube?

As entertainment and information marketers, it’s no secret that our industry fundamentally drives the value of any individual piece of content. More than any other vocational function, marketers are directly responsible for driving eyeballs to the content so that the content can be monetized.

And while that task was certainly daunting 10 years ago, these new distribution, technology and business advances have substantially modified the playing field. It's no longer simply about advertising inventory... it's about DVDs, PVRs, VOD, streaming, download, pay-per-view, etc.

It’s not just a new game; it’s a new sport. It’s the Olympics, and our constituents -- entertainment and information marketers -- are tasked with securing gold in every match.

It’s an incredibly unique time in the business of entertainment and information content, and I’m interested to see what role NATPE will play in this evolving marketplace. As a conference, will it work to maintain the business’ status quo? Or will it be instrumental in driving new business paradigms and models that make sense across a vast network of platforms?

And while I will be focused on investigating these fundamental questions and exploring how the business done at NATPE will affect the entertainment-content marketing industry, I promise you this: If the rain doesn’t stop soon, the only valuable information you’ll find on this blog are directions to the best Blood Mary at the Burbank airport.