Believing it’s never too early to start thinking about the upfront, Fox has launched an ad campaign aimed at media buyers and brand managers, and a web portal where clients can get information about upcoming schedules and programming.
The campaign uses the theme “The Power Of Fox Is The Power To Break Through’” and informs clients that they can buy the company’s four verticals--entertainment, sports, news and the Tubi streaming services--or buy the entire portfolio.
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“This is the first time really that we’re approaching the marketplace as a portfolio,” said Erin Saulnier, executive VP, ad sales marketing, at Fox, who spearheads the campaign.
The company is also starting up @FoxAdSolutions social media handles on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
The campaign launched Monday, with digital ads bought on the websites of the New York Times and advertising trade publications. A second round of ads will hit in January.
When the new Fox emerged from the sale of 21st Century Fox to The Walt Disney Co., Fox’s various ad sales operations were consolidated under president Marianne Gambelli. During the 2019 upfront, Fox unveiled its “The Power of Fox” slogan. As the 2020 upfront approached it was preparing a campaign focusing on all of the company’s assets.
“We wanted to go to the marketplace with the cohesive message and we started working on it. When COVID hit, we hit paused like everybody else and focused on working with our clients,” Saulnier said. “We were excited to share this with the marketplace then, and we’re really excited to share it now.”
While many media companies, like Fox, have consolidated their ad sales operations, Fox is also touting that clients can decide to focus on individual verticals, each of which has a dedicated sales group. Each vertical is recognized in the new campaign.
This year’s upfront was disrupted by the pandemic, with deals closing just before the start of the new season.Fewer ad dollars were committed in the upfront, which should be more activity in the scatter market. And while Fox’s campaign is starting as planning is beginning for the 2021-22 upfront, the ads and portal also lets buyers know that Fox is open for business 52 weeks a year.
“We want to be in-market to work with our client and agency partners [00:07:28] when they're ready to work with us,” Saulnier said.
The message of Fox’s campaign is that its portfolio has the power to break through the noise, clutter and confusion in the marketplace, Saulnier said.
That can be done in two ways: the first way is “the power to break through for you,” which means taking advantage of the audiences Fox’s verticals reach. The second way is with the power to break through with you, but working with Fox to develop branded content, integrations and other sponsorship opportunities.
Each of the Fox verticals has its content studio, she added.
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The new Fox Ad Solutions Partner Portal is a private site for media buyers and planners as well as brand executives. It will give clients information about programming, schedules, have screeners and trailers, case studies and thought leadership. While ads cannot be bought through the portal, it can be used to set up Zoom calls and other conversations with Fox ad sales executives.
“We will continue to enhance the site and make it even more relevant for our clients down the road,” Saulnier said.
