The Digital NewFronts have exploded over the past two years. What used to be a 2-day affair among digital specialists has become a weeklong extravaganza for a mainstream marketing audience. AOL, Google, Hulu, Yahoo and others hosted events worthy of the television upfronts featuring celebrities, deal announcements, and dramatic unveilings of coming attractions.
The YouTube Brandcast event was one of the marquee gatherings of the week. Complete with performances by Snoop Lion and Macklemore, the 2-hour presentation conceded nothing to the star-studded fests of the television networks. Interestingly, that was not the only nod to the television titans. The essence of the entire sales pitch was in terms any TV buyer would understand. The selling point repeated by every presenter was the huge number of impressions that YouTube is now generating. There was some passing reference to the long tail appeal of their wide offering, but the main thrust was all about eyeballs. Numbers in the billions were flashed again and again. The production values of the featured channels were lauded for the television-like quality. Over in the AOL meeting, a partnership with Nielsen Online Ratings was announced that would measure reach and frequency for their library of premium videos. So buyers could look at GRPs both offline and online.
The advertisers in attendance were encouraged to tap into this vast viewership with sponsorships and pre-rolls. In other words, they were selling adjacencies to their content just like TV. There was little talk of special engagement opportunities or unique connections available through digital. The message was about content generating massive impressions and running ads next to their content. Like the Goths invading Rome, it turns out their objective was not to destroy the empire, it was to supplant the Emperor. Traditional television networks may be losing, but traditional television business models are winning.
The Ryan Report 