• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, May 23, 2013

Wild upfront digital video estimates postured that many platforms/sites could get $1 billion in upfront money of the expected $4 billion in digital advertising dollars in 2013. But an OMMA Video panel of media executives for Internet Week said no way. Actually, more than a few said it related to executives "smoking something." Yes, you can get in a daze this time of year -- upfront time. Big TV dollars can make one's head spin -- even without lighting up.

With regard to digital, media agencies and marketers will tell you there is no rush this time of year -- no scarcity issues, and no scale, and a "rat's nest" of measurement issues.

One agency executive wondered whether marketers should wait and do something special -- like product/brand integration with video.

Adam Potashnick, senior partner/group account director at Mediacom, said: "[For many marketers] there isn't a strong need today to buy that [specific NewFront] program. It doesn't have to be a force fit into that program. You don't have to take what is served."

Other digital video sales executives say there is no reason to wait. At OMMA Video, Alexis Josephs, vp of East Coast sales for Vevo, says buy now -- in premium video that is available. Not all research shows off better metrics when it comes to brand entertainment stuff. TV producers actually know how to do their job, says Josephs.

Pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll -- plain and simple -- have value. Perhaps for many marketers just looking for TV-like scale and simplicity this works. Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings and a similar effort from comScore will help going forward in this regard -- in delivering TV-familiar CPMs (cost per thousand viewers) -- pricing data.

A  major key for traditional TV marketers is scale -- and that's where digital video is lacking. Chris Raleigh, senior vp of cable and cross-platform ad sales for The Weather Company, says: "It still needs to be tied to the TV properties." And he credits the likes of the broadcast network the CW in finding ways to package traditional and digital video.

Overall NewFront presentations offered up "a lot more sizzle," says Raleigh. But he wonders about the value.  He didn't believe many of the NewFront presentations made a convincing case that they were  "following the consumer." Raleigh says, "I don't think it was projected well."

That goes double for that $1 billion projection.