Now that upfront week occasions have concluded, Adweek is sitting down for upfront postmortem interviews with every of the presenting advert gross sales chiefs—and there’s a lot to speak about.
Between the Writers Guild of America strike holding some main expertise from hitting the stage to last-minute adjustments and main govt departures, it was an upfront week like no different. And no writer needed to take care of extra challenges than NBCUniversal.
That’s as a result of, along with being with out upfront staples like Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers (NBC Information’ expertise dealt with the majority of the presenting duties as a substitute), the corporate had one other evident absence on the Radio Metropolis stage: longtime advert gross sales chief Linda Yaccarino, who left the corporate to develop into Twitter CEO simply three days earlier than the upfront presentation.
Yaccarino’s abrupt exit additionally gave added which means to a joke from the occasion’s video kick-off, wherein Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed, speaking animated bear, Ted, carried out a tune and dance concerning the significance of TV advertisements and joked, “Twitter could seem to be the place to start/however Twitter simply let all of the crazies again in.”
Mark Marshall, named interim chairman of NBCUniversal’s promoting and partnerships group on Friday, spoke with Adweek concerning the occasion’s fast adjustments, Yaccarino’s departure and, sure, that provocative Twitter joke.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
Adweek: You made it by upfront week. Wanting again on the occasion, what are you proudest of?
Marshall: I’m in all probability most happy with the standard of the present that was placed on. It confirmed the breadth of our content material, every thing from unscripted to clips of the dramas and comedies. You’re capable of see the information expertise. We obtained to introduce the Massive Ten on Saturday evening, after which the Spanish-language [programming] and Peacock, so I believe it was the breadth. That’s in all probability what I used to be most enthusiastic about.
With Linda Yaccarino heading to Twitter, a selected Twitter-themed joke out of your Ted opening took on a double which means and obtained an enormous chortle from the gang. How lengthy was that joke in there? Have been you anticipating that response?
It had been in there for months, so it was not added in. And Linda was nicely conscious of that line in there. So it was humorous. I do know folks made some jokes about it, however it was in good enjoyable. It had been in there for months.
