The 19th edition of Advertising Week New York 2023 has filled Manhattan’s recently redeveloped PENN DISTRICT to its absolute brim, attracting spirited, spilling crowds containing some of the keenest minds in marketing, media, advertising, and communications.
Mediaweek continued their on the ground coverage of the event, attending a number of key sessions throughout Tuesday. Here is a recap of some of the highlights from AWNewYork’s second day:
See Also: AWNewYork 2023: Day one recap – Super Bowl, OneRepublic, Barbie & Paris Hilton
Netflix: The Next Era in Advertising
Hot off the press release, Peter Naylor, VP of global advertising sales at Netflix was first to break the news of he upcoming first-of-its kind live sporting event, the Netflix Cup to the AWNewYork audience, “The Netflix Cup is going to stream live around the world on November 14th. We announced this just two hours ago.”
He enthused, “Netflix Cup is going to take the drivers from Formula 1: Drive To Survive and the golfers from the PGA and put them into a match play golf tournament.”
“What’s so great about these shows is they’re so influential on culture… and this offers an impactful opportunity for advertisers.” Naylor cited that the Netflix Cup has been powered by sponsors like T-Mobile and Nespresso. He welcomed Jessica Padula, VP of marketing and Interim VP of sustainability at Nespresso USA, to elaborate on Nespresso’s approach to this partnership opportunity.
Netflix: The Next Era in Advertising – Peter Naylor – Vice President of Global Advertising Sales, Netflix and Jessica Padula – Vice President of Marketing and Interim Voce President of Sustainability, Nespresso
Padula made clear the brand ambition Nespresso has to align with the right cultural moments, “We’re in awareness-building mode, so anytime you think about global reach and scale, and getting eyeballs on your brand, you have to think of it in a couple different ways… You know, the adage of right time, right place, right message.”
Nespresso has recently leveraged the Netflix talent pool, bringing on Julia Garner (Inventing Anna, Ozark) and Simone Ashley (Bridgerton, Sex Education) to join George Clooney as faces of the single-serve coffee brand.
Said Padula of the Netflix Cup, “We get to be associated with something people are excited to spend time with versus advertising, which can sometimes be just push[ing] yourself in their face when they don’t want to hear from you.
“Since we signed up for it, we’ve been spending almost daily conversations with the team, building out something that makes it meaningful, both for the people who are on site at the event, because there’s obviously going to be a tone of attendees, but also so that it shows up in a really natural way where it’s connected to who we are as a brand.”
During the session Naylor also announced the launch of single title sponsorships for Netflix shows, with the first being Frito-Lay’s sponsorship of the Emmy-nominated series, Love is Blind.
Creators, Collabs and Content: Captiv8, e.l.f. Beauty & Chris Olsen
Chris Olsen is a digital creator and actor who boasts a 12 million strong following on TikTok. Meanwhile, e.l.f beauty is the only major cosmetic brand to gain one million followers on the platform. Earlier this year, the two social media megaminds came together for the hugely successful collaboration, Make up over Makeup.
The project brought Olsen and his ex-boyfriend Ian Paget back into the public arena following their highly publicised breakup, where heartfelt reflections of their relationship were accompanied by the intimate exchange of touch ups using e.l.f. cosmetics.
Right off the bat, the video landed in YouTube’s Top 10 trending videos, and the video alone has garnered two billion impressions to date.
Moderator, Meridith Rojas, chief brand officer of Captiv8’s, described it as “the anti-ad.”
Creators, Collabs and Content: Captiv8, e.l.f. Beauty; Chris Olsen – Chris Olsen – Digital Creator and Actor, Laurie Lam – Chief Brand Officer, e.l.f. Beauty and Meridith Rojas, Chief Brand Officer, Captiv8
Rojas commented: “I think your community, your fans, they were already kind of curious about or you have a lot of assumptions about why you guys broke up, and e.l.f saw an opportunity to create a space to have that conversation.”
Laurie Lam, chief brand officer at e.l.f. Beauty, attested that “value and virality” have been part of e.l.f’s DNA since its inception.
Regarding partnerships, such as the one with Olsen, Lam expressed, “I do think it’s all about authenticity. And for us at e.l.f, it’s always brand and purpose first… If you lead with your heart and your purpose first, you don’t have to sell the product. It wasn’t even on [Olsen’s] brief.”
Olsen affirmed, “it was this beautiful, symbiotic mix of sharing our personalities and sharing these products.”
Speaking more broadly on the topic of brand collaboration, authenticity, and purpose-driven influencer marketing, Olsen drew parallels to creators like himself being perceived by brands “as a billboard, in a way.” He emphasised the critical distinction for brands, that they are “partnering with people,” not a unit of inventory.
Olsen noted, “I think as a creator, I can definitely tell when a brand has picked me because they genuinely love my content. And then on the flip side, you can tell when a brand has picked you based on numbers and based on engagement, and aren’t that familiar with your content. And obviously, the former is so much more successful as a partnership.”
Getting Real About Audio with the Stars of SiriusXM’s Radio Andy
Andy Cohen, the Emmy-award winning former host of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, fittingly hosted the rambunctious panel featuring the greatest and latest pop culture audio sensations of SiriusXM.
Since moving on from Bravo, Cohen now has two dedicated channels on SiriusXM including Radio Andy, of whom he has been stationed with for over eight years. His shows include Andy Cohen Live, Andy Cohen’s Deep & Shallow Podcast, and Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Cohen also shares a 16 year long working partnership with panel member Jeff Lewis. Lewis himself is no stranger to the public eye, rising to popularity on reality TV show Flipping Out. Today he is known as the “uncensored” host of his acclaimed radio shows Jeff Lewis Live and Jeff Lewis Has Issues.
Lewis defined his media to the AWNewYork audience as a “mindless escape” with Cohen playfully pointing out that Lewis “has no filter, on or off the air,” leading to what Lewis describes as a “complicated” relationship with advertisers.
“When I started the show, I didn’t really take it seriously… When I read the live reads we would add like ‘naked’ at the end of each sentence. We would joke around.” Nonetheless, Lewis can proudly boast an engaged audience, quipping, “They’re telling me my passion score is 83… Does anyone even know what that means?”
Both Cohen and Lewis conveyed to the audience their shared satisfaction in the decision to transition to five days on air.
Cohen, whose show on Bravo ran twice a week, recalled “Sirius wanted me for a very long time to strip it and go every day. And I’m so glad that I did. This daily conversation with the listeners is so gratifying for me, and I absolutely love it.”
Lewis added, “I’m very committed to my audience, and they’re very committed to me, and I don’t want to go off air for too long, because I’m afraid they’re gonna go find someone else.”
Getting Real About Audio with the Stars of SiriusXM’s Radio Andy – Jeff Lewis – Host, Jeff Lewis Live; Jeff Lewis Has Issues, The Smith Sisters and Andy Cohen – Host, Andy Cohen Live; Andy Cohen’s Deep and Shallow Podcast; Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Also on the panel were relative newcomers to the audio hosting space were sisters Lauren, Maria, and Rachel smith, whom Cohen picked up to host their own show in Andy Radio, Smith Sisters Radio. By no means are the sisters strangers to the entertainment and pop culture landscape; they possess an almost encyclopedic knowledge.
All with comedy TV writing and producing backgrounds, the Smith sisters’ quick wit, contagious humour, and vivacious chemistry sustains what Cohen describes as “must-listen radio.”
Defining their individual expertises in the mainsteam, Rachel stated, “Mine is anything UK… and anything Lesbian, especially YouTubers and soccer players.” Said Lauren, “I’m our legacy celebrity expert… and then everything on television,” while Mariah contributed, “you also watch the prestige appointment TV.”
Mariah is a Kardashian connoisseur, who Cohen mentioned “basically came up with all of the questions for the Kardashians for reunion,” a culture cornerstone moment in pop culture condcuted by Cohen.
15 Seasons of Shark Tank
Clearly popular viewing among the AWNewYork delegates, the cast of American Broadcasting Company’s Shark Tank drew a frenzy so extreme it warranted an announcement from the fire and safety martial to clear the room post session.
In a conversation led by Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, the Sharks discussed and debated the experiences they have shared growing remarkable brands over the last 15 years as part of their hit reality TV show; a show that launched a global franchise of local adaptations including Shark Tank Australia.
15 Seasons of Shark Tank – Daymond John – Founder of FUBU, fashion and branding expert and 3x New York Times Best Selling Author, FUBU, Mark Cuban – Founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, owner of the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban Companies, Lori Greiner – Self-made Entrepreneur, Brand Builder, Marketing genius and Inventor of over 1,000 products, Barbara Corcoran – Real Estate Mogul and Founder of The Corcoran Group and Kevin O’Leary – Venture Capitalist, Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global
In her opener, Huffington remarked, “Shark Tank keeps alive the American dream,” underscoring how to date it has been responsible for US$226 million in deals, and US$8 billion in sales.
Commenting on the show’s success, Lori Greiner, self-made entrepreneur, brand builder, marketing guru and “inventor of over 1,000 products,” pointed to the inspirational nature of the show that resonates with an aspirational audience. Said Greiner, “Most people when they watch our show they become excited and get ideas.”
Mark Cuban, founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company and owner of the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, expressed, “We’re a country of dreamers… We add to that hope.”
Daymond John, founder of FUBU, fashion and branding expert, and three times New York Times Best Selling Author, reflected on how “the show changed as we started to grow,” highlighting the dramatic evolutions in the consumer landscape that unfolded during the show’s lifespan, from the advent of crypto to the rise of social media. He offered the example, “Things have stopped going direct to retail… now brands could do a million the night [their episode] airs.”
Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul and founder of The Corcoran Group, referred to the show as a “free MBA on Friday night” and credited the rising calibre of entrepreneurs they encounter to the show’s influence, remarking, “they have gotten better… and so savvy on social media.”
Sharing her insights on what sets such talent apart in finding business success, Corcoran advised, “The best entrepreneurs take less time feeling sorry for themselves.”
Cuban echoed, “It’s not a special source, it’s primarily effort.”
Addressing concerns around the current economic climate, venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary stressed “the cost of capital isn’t free anymore… entrepreneurs have to be more resourceful.”
He declared, “Great ideas are great ideas, but you need executional skills.”
See Also:
Day two recap: Netflix Cup, Chris Olsen, Andy Cohen & Shark Tank
Day three recap: Renaissance Woman, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Jonathan Van Ness & Issa Rae
Day four recap – Binging with Babish, TIME Magazine, Pepsi & WWE
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Top Image: Cast of Shark Tank (Daymond John, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran & Kevin O’Leary)