• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 25, 2008

A panel of both buyers and sellers Thursday was in general agreement that the first-year C3 metric has been a plus, although some offered opinions on how marketplace currency could be improved.

"A good step forward" is how MediaVest's Pam Zucker labeled C3, although she added that the search continues for additional metrics--"overlays"--that can be used in concert with it to provide more detailed information.

ABC sales chief Mike Shaw suggested that commercial ratings should be extended to include DVR viewing for not just the three days after the live broadcast, but seven days. Potentially called "C7," that metric would give ABC more opportunities to gain saleable inventory as four more days of DVR viewing are added into the ratings.

Zucker responded that C7 "might work for some advertisers," but C3 would probably need to remain in operation for marketers whose messages have short shelf-lives.

"I think (C7's) OK if we're comfortable having multiple metrics in the marketplace," she said.

While some agencies such as Starcom have pushed to use an array of currencies going all the way down to second-by-second ratings, the mix can lead to a heightened workload as a network or agency has to process so many different currencies for so many different deals.

Both Zucker and Shaw appeared on the panel at MediaPost's annual Outfront event. They were joined by MindShare's Shari Cohen and Fox sales chief Jon Nesvig.

On C3 in general, Cohen said: "We have seen positive results." She cited networks looking for ways to alter the structure of breaks in late-night to retain commercial viewers, and their willingness to increasingly give over the first spot in a pod-the "A" position to advertisers instead of keeping it for themselves for promos.

On a separate topic--NBC's efforts to cut down on the number of pilots for new series by going straight from script into production--Shaw said that ABC would not be following suit. "We think it's silly," he said. "It's kind of like taking a sketch and going into production on a new auto."

Potential hits, Shaw said, are not produced in one shot. Pilots provide a feel for a show, and allow for tinkering, perhaps after focus groups have weighed in. He said that the pilot for "Grey's Anatomy" was ready by September in the season it launched, but ABC felt it needed to make adjustments and held off for a mid-season debut.

"I want a pilot that's really been tested," he said.

Zucker said issues of producing pilots or not are largely "irrelevant," but "what's important is to have early conversations" where networks and advertisers can discuss how a show might fit into a marketer's needs, and then perhaps develop customized solutions. NBC has said that was one reason it unveiled its schedule much earlier this year than the traditional mid-May upfront week.

In regard to the economy and its potential effect on the ad market, Fox's Nesvig said: "We haven't seen a dramatic falloff, (but) who knows? It's out there--there is a lot of uncertainty."

Nonetheless, he said, broadcast networks are better-positioned to weather any downturn compared to, say, the Internet. He said Fox deals with 250 to 300 large national advertisers that have been through recessions before and view them as an opportunity to grow share--and continuing to advertise during the downturn is a key component.

Cohen had a slightly different take, saying that the economic turmoil "is certainly starting to have an impact on all of our clients." And much of that has emerged in just the last three months, she said, as gas prices have risen and consumer confidence has fallen.