Commentary

Upfront? We Don't Need No Stinking Digital Video Upfront

by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, February 23, 2012

Call me a skeptic.

(I’m a reporter. We’re supposed to be skeptics).

But yeah, I’m skeptical of digital upfronts.

This week has brought two digital video announcements tied to the upfront. First, video ad technology company Adap.tv rolled out a media buying platform called the Adap.tv Upfront Marketplace, designed to reduce time and improve efficiency of media buying across screens so agencies can negotiate upfront digital buys with one tool. Adap.tv has landed Horizon Media as a user.

Adap.tv said it timed the launch of the platform to coincide with the general upfront buying period and to underscore the advantages of buying broadcast and digital together. The platform can help buyers pre-plan but also increase efficiency, said Toby Gabriner, President of Adap.tv. “Over the past few years, a section of the industry began to experience a change with the introduction of RTB, however, most media is still traded in an upfront or futures capacity. Adap.tv is bringing the same efficiencies of RTB buying and selling to the upfront or futures aspect of video advertising. In short, we are cutting out the many hours spent in spreadsheet purgatory.”

Then there’s Digitas, which has teamed up with Web giants AOL, Google/YouTube, Hulu, Microsoft and Yahoo to stage upfront presentations mirroring the TV upfronts from April 19 to May 2nd, just a few weeks before the TV upfront presentations. Digitas has done a fine job with its own New Fronts the last few years, which run more like highly polished conferences about digital video and Web series. Digitas said it’s expanding its New Front because of the pace of spending in online video, which grew 52% in 2011 and is tracking at 40% growth for 2012, eMarketer has said.

Sure, video is valuable. But I’ve seen numerous efforts over the years to stage new media upfronts and they haven’t worked. VOD networks such as Ripe TV and Music Choice angled for VOD upfronts several years ago to no avail, while broadband sites tried the same. The interest wasn’t there since digital buying is done year-round. TV upfronts exist because of the limited supply in broadcast ad time. The TV upfront season creates a false urgency so marketers lock in buys.

Digital isn’t supposed to be like TV. That’s what works about digital. You can buy year-round. You can be more efficient. You don’t need dog and pony shows. The upfront exists because TV ad time is scarce. Digital ad time isn’t scarce. It doesn’t need to be modeled after TV.

That’s not to say these efforts won’t succeed. They very well might. But if they succeed, they will succeed on their own merits and not because they tapped into the spring timing of TV buyers.

upfront, video

4 comments about "Upfront? We Don't Need No Stinking Digital Video Upfront".

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Darrin Stephens from McMann & Tate, February 23, 2012 at 11:46 a.m.
Quite right, young Daisy.
I guess we're currently at a low ebb of certain industry types railing against "the upfront."
For something that a lot of people think is broken, a lot of other platforms wanna have one, too.
Note that you can buy TV time year 'round, it just usually costs more.
Reply

Nick Dimitrakiou from Convidence, February 23, 2012 at 2:42 p.m.

Could not agree more! Simple econ 101.

Toby Gabriner from Adap.tv, February 24, 2012 at 12:10 p.m.

Thanks Daisy for shedding light and getting this conversation started. To clarify, Adap.tv believes the “programmatic movement” isn’t about assimilating to the upfront season or even to the old process. Quite the contrary, it’s about marshalling in a whole new process of buying and selling that removes the inefficiencies and pain points inherent to video advertising. To Darrin’s point, it shouldn’t cost advertisers or publishers more in terms of time or money just because the “old” way no longer works. Nowhere is the need for programmatic more keenly felt than with the media buyers. They are trying to identify audiences, strategize and negotiate placements and price, and monitor performance across a multitude of new variables – with a spreadsheet! This is about changing the paradigm of how "future" inventory is secured in a much more efficient manner.

Jordan Bitterman from Digitas, February 24, 2012 at 2:41 p.m.

Applaud the conviction, but respectfully disagree with the headline. By creating the Digital Content NewFronts, together with AOL, Hulu, Google/YouTube, Microsoft Advertising, Yahoo! and other critical partners, we are establishing a practical marketplace for native digital content. The market is ready. Consumers are consuming. The timing is right. And agree that on merit success will come.