NBCUniversal will launch a new annual event to bring together the company’s advertising partners, media buyers and clients, with developers and technologists building the next generation of content and advertising solutions.
The inaugural event, dubbed “One21,” will be held (virtually, of course) on March 22. Future installments will be called “One22, One23,” etc.
“What we are looking to do is really tie together what we do best, which is building content, great storytelling and all of that, but partner that with the solutions-oriented focus of a developer conference,” says Josh Feldman, the CMO of NBCUniversal’s advertising and partnerships division. “We want our partners, our clients, our tech partners, to know that we are embracing a build-together mentality.”
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The company plans to use data and research to present “a vision of where we are heading,” Feldman says, adding that the company intends to show its clients and partners “the blueprints to what we are building,” with the hope that they will get involved and build on top of it.
“This is not an upfront event, the upfront has its own purpose, but this is very different and new,” Feldman says. “I think people that tune in will see how forward-thinking we are, what the future of advertising looks like, what the future of streaming looks like, what the future of television looks like, and really showing how we want to build that along with our clients, with consumers in mind.”
NBCUniversal has made advanced and interactive advertising a priority in recent years, particularly since the launch of its One Platform initiative last year. The company has since rolled out new solutions like shoppable ads. Last year, the advertising and partnerships division, led by Linda Yaccarino, also added oversight of NBC’s local TV stations and Sky’s overseas footprint.
The One21 event plans to lean into that scale.
“You’re not going to have a zoom call, you’re not going to have a bunch of talking boxes, you are not even going to have a bunch of panels,” Feldman says. “We are shooting this in a dynamic way which will show off the entire power and scope of our company on a global footprint.”
