Marianne Gambelli on Why Fox Opted for a Pre-Recorded Upfront

As upfront week negotiations get underway, Adweek continues our postmortem sitdowns with each of the ad sales chiefs who presented. First up was NBCU's Linda Yaccarino; now Marianne Gambelli, Fox Corp.'s president of ad sales, marketing and brand partnerships, gives us insight into her company's upfront week event on Monday afternoon. Fox did things a bit differently this year. The company changed venues from the Beacon Theatre to the Skylight on Vesey in New York for its May 16 presentation, but the in-person event mainly consisted of marketers watching a pre-recorded video. It was a departure from how other companies handled their in-person presentations, but Gambelli told us the company felt strongly about doing a hybrid event. Fox's ad sales chief explained the reasoning behind Fox's presentation, what she might do differently next year and her upfront strategy—including selling Super Bowl 57. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Adweek: Now that you've done the presentation, what are your thoughts? What's the feedback you've been getting?Gambelli: We had a couple of agendas. And I think we did what we wanted to do. When we had planned this in November, we didn't know that it would be a live event to the extent that it was. So we were planning for a world that we were going to get a call in January that we would shut down again and not be able to do in-person. So we felt very strongly about doing a hybrid event. And we wanted the virtual experience to mirror what people would feel in the arena. So that's why we didn't do as many live elements, because we wanted to have this kind of immersive, virtual world. We probably could've explained that better because I don't think people adjusted or knew very quickly. So from that point, we actually did double the work because we did want to have some live, in-person presence. But we also wanted to create a presentation that would play as professionally as a polished event if you were actually sitting in the arena. And what we saw from our stats online, we have over 7,000 viewers online. That experience was amazing. In-house, we probably could have done more live elements. But we wanted to try something different. And I have to applaud the fact that we did. We wanted to present the entire portfolio because that's who we are as a company. So I think we hit on those notes. Fox Pitches Marketers on Content, Sports and Streaming in Pre-Recorded Upfront You talked about 7,000 people tuning in online. Are you thinking about doing more of a hybrid presentation in the future, or will you focus on more in-person elements?As we play it back, we have to have something for the virtual audience. That's going to be a big part of what we all do going forward. But I think what we were challenged with, you just can't switch platforms. So if you are in a virtual world, you can't bring in the live element it was. It's either one or the other. So I think that's the challenge. You have to make a decision either way. I don't think we can do both again because you can't just switch and go from a virtual presentation to actually showing what's live in the room. Those are different platforms. So there's a limitation. So I think we would probably do it around the live event. And I assume that a year from now, we will all be back fully where we won't have this threat always of another shutdown or another outbreak. I'm actually surprised that that many people wanted to be in person together, to be honest with you. Are you thinking about going back to the Beacon Theatre or sticking with the Skylight?The problem with the Beacon was that we couldn't actually entertain there. It was a very small lobby, a small venue. So I think we need a bigger space than at Skylight. I don't think that's big enough. But I would like to do something where we can actually host as well as do a presentation. We wanted to try something different. And I have to applaud the fact that we did.—Marianne Gambelli, president of ad sales, marketing and brand partnerships, Fox Corp. That makes sense. After all, Fox usually does separate events, and this was the first year of bringing sports, news and everything together. Can you talk about that decision and your priorities going in?What we've heard from clients is that they want to see the entire portfolio. You don't want to go to four or five locations for one company. So I think it was matching the needs of what our clients are expecting but also putting our best foot forward because we sell everything in the upfront now. It's not just an entertainment event. We sell across platforms, and the other divisions are just as big as the entertainment division. Part of your offering is Tubi, and it seems like everyone is trying to get in on AVODs now. What's it been like to see that changing perception?We've always been pretty clear on our mission for Tubi. It was always going to be ad-supported. It was not going to be a subscription service. We were not trying to compete with Netflix, whether it be Apple TV. We had a plan in mind with that philosophy. Another big thing this year, Fox didn't announce a fall schedule. Can you talk about that decision and why that was important? When you look at it, you don't really program anymore for one hour, right? Three-quarters or half of your viewing is happening within a 35-day window. It's happening on other platforms. So we're trying to look at things across that spectrum, as opposed to what should be on Monday at 8 o'clock. So, will Fox plan to do a schedule launch later this year, or is that not a priority in this changing environment?I think they will solidify a schedule at some point, but I think they are still doing certain things. Again, how we're going to play on other platforms. So I think there are other factors. At some point, there will be. What are you looking for with your sports offering for the upcoming season, and what’s the strategy with selling Super Bowl 57?Live sports content has never been more in demand, and Fox is the industry leader. We continue to see clients shift budgets to Fox for our premium sports content. We have the biggest events on the sports calendar, including the FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl 57 and couldn’t be more excited about our historic year ahead. Premium sports content attracts large audiences and delivers unrivaled scale for advertisers, and nothing is bigger than the Super Bowl for building brands and there’s always an incredibly strong demand. How do midterms factor into the overall strategy and negotiations?The midterms will be a much talked about and anticipated event that will deliver the largest audiences for Fox News across all of cable and broadcast news. We have midterm packages that will be sold as part of upfront, with a few packages held for scatter market. Premium sports content attracts large audiences and delivers unrivaled scale for advertisers, and nothing is bigger than the Super Bowl for building brands.—Marianne Gambelli, president of ad sales, marketing and brand partnerships, Fox Corp. How was the upfront different for Fox this year in terms of your planning and putting things together?The focus of our presentation was to showcase all of Fox's unmatched portfolio. We have the biggest brands and best content in sports, news, entertainment and Tubi, and the presentation was designed to highlight our entire portfolio in an innovative, informative and entertaining way. We made the strategic decision to shake up the traditional upfront with a new venue and produce it in a manner that’s more reflective of how we consume, view and engage with content in today’s world. When we started planning back in late 2021, things were much different, and we had to plan for a show that was a hybrid of both a live and virtual experience. What can you tell us about early negotiations?The upfront is a futures market. Marketers still need to move products and understand the importance of securing their upfront commitments as they plan for their upcoming launches over the next 12 months. We have unmatched brands with premium entertainment programming, the best live sports, big events and the fastest-growing AVOD platform with Tubi, and clients recognize there is incredible value in our content and the audiences we attract. Anything else we haven’t touched on that comes to mind when reflecting on Fox’s presentation? Any message to marketers?The focus with our upfront event was to show how everything we do is built for our advertisers and our viewers. Other media companies have chased subscribers for their expensive SVOD platforms, and advertisers are an afterthought. At Fox, we have remained focused on advertisers. During our event, I said clients are looking for a custom fit and not something off the rack. We will continue to bring tailor-made and client-focused solutions that solve the needs of our partners, attached to incredible content across our portfolio.