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.

Modern storytelling can be like snacking -- but not always all that nourishing. Sure, you can tweet all your want. But what does that really tell you? "It's like having a Twizzler," says Susan Credle, executive vp and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide. "At some point you need a meal." Credle was speaking on a panel about creativity at the 4A's Transformation LA event.

Ed Erhardt, president of global customer marketing and sales for ESPN says, in speaking at the 4A's Transformation LA event, there needs to be a lot more combined digital platform and TV deals. "I don't want to do four digital deals; I want to do 150."   The big issue for Erhardt -- does TV own the digital space or does digital own the TV connected space? This upfront might tell the tale he says in the next couple of weeks. "We need scale."

Bob Pittman, chief executive officer of Clear Channel Media Holdings, talked up his industry, during the 4A's Transformation LA event. "Radio is your view to the world -- nothing intrudes," he says.  Best of all, he says it's a "cheap way of getting a lot of value." Case in point, the average TV cost per thousand viewers, across all dayparts is $12.50. Radio? That comes to a $5.35 CPM. Radio was the original "social media". "What radio does it replicate word mouth." What else for radio? Pittman says you can change the copy of commercials in less than a day.

When will digital online sellers really be part of TV's big upfront selling process? Don't look for big changes anytime soon.   "We can't wait for the upfront, clients want results tomorrow," says Quentin George, chief innovation officer of IPG Mediabrands, speaking at the 4'As Transformation LA event. "[But] it's not to say it isn't relevant anymore." Josh Jacobs, president of Accuen Media says, for many in the digital space "the upfront process is an add on." Brian Lesser, chief executive officer of Xaxis, says, "We speak to a lot of advertisers about shifting spending. [One of the problems are] …

Due to its emotional attachment efforts, NewMediaMetrics has been able to accurately predict the ratings and ranking of all TV shows 80% of the time. No longer. Gary Reisman, co-founder of NewMediaMetrics, said during the 4A's Transformation LA event, that last year the company couldn't keep up its performance level. He blames the array of new media platforms where to see TV shows -- Hulu, and the networks-owned video players. Emotional attachment needs to therefore be expanded. "I'm a fan of big data," he says. …

Ad agencies have moved into the business of creating experiences, not ads -- Rob Gonda, Global Head of Emerging Technology & Innovation, SapientNitro, at the 4 A's conference in Los Angeles

If advertisers want to see the future of advertising they need to look at the beginning of technology. By the beginning I mean the semiconductor and the components built into gadgets, where innovation first occurs. More agencies will begin to put inventions and innovations at the center of the agency. That's the consensus of The Future of Creativity breakout session, moderated by Winston Binch, Partner, Chief Digital Officer, Deutsch LA. At the 4 A's conference in Los Angeles. The moderator and panelists spoke about the intersection of technology and marketing, a topic near and dear to my heart. With a …