It's the kind of stuff average TV viewers - or even TV industry trade reporters - don't get to see, but it can make all the difference in the impact of an important advertising campaign. In this case, it was Chrysler's "Halftime In America" spot featuring Clint Eastwood, which ran during this year's Super Bowl half-time.

How do you say "primary runoff" in Italian? We have no clue, but you might ask Susan Thomson, Head of Media, Social Media and CRM at Chrysler Group LLC. During a keynote conversation at Media Magazine's Outfront conference, Thomson is explaining how, among countless other responsibilities, she has to interpret the significance of our cultural customs and events to her Italian boss, Sergio Marchionne. "We all work for Sergio, one way or the other," said Thomson.

Since TV network sales execs say they are only generating about two percent of their revenues from online video, I figured I'd ask the media buyers on this morning's Outfront panel what the right amount of advertising budget is to be allocated to "digital."

For all the talk about the growth of online video advertising, only a tiny portion of TV networks' advertising sales is actually digital, according to a couple of TV ad sales chiefs.

That seems to be the consensus during the opening upfront panel at MEDIA magazine's annual Outfront conference in New York this morning.

What a difference a year makes. Or in the case of Donna Speciale's move from head of video investments at MediaVest to president of ad sales at Turner Entertainment and Young Adult nets, just six months.

Was last year's robust upfront an aberration? Driven in part by an uncertain economy, is the pendulum swinging back in the other direction -- and, in the process, threatening to slit a few marketers' throats? Pretty much, according to Kris Magel, EVP and Director of National Broadcast at Initiative.

Welcome to Media Magazine's 8th Annual Outfront conference, which you can always count on to get out in front of Madison Avenue's annual upfronts. As Media editor-in-chief Joe Mandese is now explaining, expect some deep dives into cord-cutting, TV extensions, second screens, third screens, scatter markets, Internet video, tipping points, the wisdom (or lack thereof) of crowds, and data galore.