In an article for Adweek ahead of our first ever NewFronts presentation, Samba TV’s Chief Marketing Officer Meredith Brace reflects on the challenges faced by the TV business over the last few years and proposes a new way forward. Instead of the Upfronts, what we actually need are the FlexFronts.

The idea for a “FlexFront” is simple. It’s a new way of thinking about how we provide brands and agencies with the tools and flexibility to future-proof advertising for the next generation. It is born from the chaotic early days of the pandemic that saw marketers scrambling to adjust as campaigns were pulled off the air, old messages were scrapped, and new ones were quickly scripted. Media plans were reworked as sports and tentpole events were largely canceled, all against the backdrop of an accelerated consumer shift away from linear to streaming. 

Those who proved they could sell and manage TV more like digital media came out on the other side stronger than ever. This moment was a turning point, setting a new benchmark for how TV should be transacted. But as we head into the third Upfronts of the COVID era, what, if anything, has actually changed? 

Samba TV Introduces the FlexFronts

Samba TV expanded on our vision for the FlexFronts during our presentation at the 2022 IAB NewFronts. The event is the world’s largest digital content marketplace, giving media buyers a first look at the latest digital content from the biggest names in media and entertainment. 

Listen in for how this new approach enables unparalleled marketing efficiency and effectiveness and hear from leading agencies and brands including CEO of Carat US, Mike Law, Global Chief Innovation Officer of UM Worldwide, Chad Stoller, and CMO of Hyundai Motor America, Angela Zepeda, as they share how they’ve leveraged Samba TV’s data and insights to drive incremental reach across today’s fragmented media landscape.

The presentation will also introduce you to a first-of-its-kind advertising currency, incremental cost-per-thousand impressions (iCPM), which guarantees incremental reach and empowers marketers to only pay for ad impressions that are incremental to their linear TV campaigns. 

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Flex your 2022 Upfronts

As Samba TV CEO Ashwin Navin emphasizes during the NewFronts presentation, “Everything we do, every product we’ve built for clients, is designed to correct the inherent limitations of the Upfronts. Every audience we build, every schedule we deploy, is focused on delivering incremental reach and is 100% dynamic and flexible, optimized every single day.” 

Navin further explored these benefits during a recent interview with Beet TV, encouraging brands and agencies to maximize the value of their Upfronts strategy.

“Take the investment that you’ve earmarked for this year and make sure that every dollar is reaching some incremental and beneficial audience that you’ve been able to reach in the past.” The alternative? Reaching the same people too many times, over-indexing on frequency and under-delivering on reach.

With the future of measurement a work in progress, Samba TV is uniquely positioned. As Navin shares with Beet TV, “we have a unique and proprietary view into viewership and how it's changed over the last several years and how we think it'll change in the future.”

Want to learn more about how Samba TV can take your strategy to the next level? Reach out to us below.

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This post has been updated as of May 5, 2022.