At the Nine Upfront 2022, the media company made several major announcements for its commercial operations across TV, print, and Radio.
Below is an extensive summary of what went down at Nines Upfront for 2022:
Nine launches total TV sales proposition offering advertisers national reach
At Nine’s 2022 Upfront presentation, the company announced that it was moving to further integrate the WIN national sales team into the Nine sales structure following its change of regional affiliate to WIN earlier this year.
The changes will be effective from July 1, 2022 and will give marketers and agencies one aligned and more integrated team, making it easier to brief and buy Nine’s television audiences across Australia.
“The future of television is total television. The combination of live linear audiences in metro and regional Australia combined with live streaming and on-demand audiences increasingly, bought using the new VOZ total TV measurement,” said Michael Stephenson, Nine’s chief sales officer.
“Total TV bought by TV buyers to maximise reach and build awareness at the top of the marketing funnel, and 9Now bought by digital buyers to increase consideration and conversion using our first-party data in the middle and bottom of the marketing funnel.”
In order to make buying Nine’s total TV audience easier, the company announced that it has started to develop its buying technology, Nine Galaxy, for regional TV.
“For the first time, agencies and clients will be able to buy live linear TV audiences on Nine all across Australia, in combination with our on-demand and live streaming audiences in 9Now, in one transaction to maximise reach,” said Stephenson. “Guaranteed audiences, no shortfalls and no makegoods. We just deliver 100 per cent of what the agency bought.
“Reach your customers in our premium environment, in metro and regional Australia, across every platform and every screen, using VOZ measurement and Nine Galaxy automated tech. There’s no need to do it the old-fashioned way anymore.”
Stephenson highlighted the significance of these announcements and underlined Nine’s ongoing commitment to make transacting total TV easier and more efficient.
“Buying total TV using Nine Galaxy is just easier. It takes less time, and it guarantees your audience delivery. Advertisers should be placing at least 60-70 per cent of their off-peak and multi-channel TV buys through Nine Galaxy. It’s more efficient and it gives you a better result,” he said.
Nine Galaxy moves towards a CPM-based trading model for total TV campaigns bought
The Upfront also saw the announcement that Nine will move towards a CPM-based trading model for total TV campaigns bought using Nine Galaxy.
The company promised that it will give agency partners direct access to live availability for Nine’s linear, live streaming and on-demand television inventory, and provide agencies with self-service access and API integration into Nine Galaxy.
Read more: Nine launches total TV sales proposition offering advertisers national reach
Nine Radio announces total audio offering
Nine Radio has unveiled the next stage of its digital transformation, highlighting the importance of first-party data as it moves towards a total audio proposition for advertisers.
Speaking at the Nine 2022 Upfront presentation, Tom Malone, Nine’s managing director – radio, confirmed that Nine Radio had implemented single sign-on (SSO) across its digital radio platforms, to complement its existing logged-in users and Nine’s wider data pool of 14 million people.
“The future of radio is total audio. A combination of live linear radio, live streaming and on- demand audio or podcasting. We have spent the last year understanding how our listeners are consuming our live and local content and what this means for advertisers across our digital platforms,” said Malone.
Over the past two years, a “live and local” strategy has been implemented across the radio network creating “talk for a new generation”, resulting in year-on-year audience growth of 11 per cent and 14 per cent against P25-54.
Every month, 15 per cent of Nine’s audience is streaming radio or consuming podcasts through their mobile phone, desktop or smart speaker. Last month 12 million streams and 600 million streaming minutes were consumed across Nine’s digital platform, creating an enormous opportunity for advertisers.
Nine has already developed its leading technology platform Nine Galaxy for radio. It will soon roll out Galaxy for live streaming and podcast.
Read More: Nine Radio announces total audio offering
Nine’s Audience Match product to be integrated with Salesforce
Last year Nine announced a market-leading partnership with Adobe called Audience Match. Nine plans to integrate this product with Salesforce, writes Nick Young, Nine’s director of sales – digital and publishing:
“At last year’s Nine Upfront we announced a major step into empowering people-based marketing across our digital properties.
“Nine announced a new partnership which allows marketers and brands to unlock Nine’s ecosystem of more than 11 million signed-in users on 9Now.
“Today Nine can announce that in an Australian first, its Audience Match product will integrate with Salesforce.
“By early 2022 we will integrate with Salesforce, giving clients the ability to match and activate their customer data to our 14 million signed-in users and put the power of people-based marketing to work across Nine’s digital ecosystem, including the market-leading 9Now BVOD service.
“It will enable advertisers using any Salesforce Cloud with Salesforce CDP and the Salesforce Nine App to match their first-party consumer audiences against our ecosystem of signed-in users, including the ability to target them on the largest screen in the house – the connected television.
Read More: Nine’s Audience Match product to be integrated with Salesforce
Nine’s Good Food brand to see cross-platform expansion in 2022
Nine has announced an expansion of titles including Good Food and Sunday Life – reimagined with new digital experiences, brand extensions and live events to drive the post-pandemic revival of bricks-and-mortar retail.
As the COVID lockdowns are lifted in 2022, Australians will embrace a focus on entertaining at home, eating out, and lifestyle. Brands will be able to play a part in this newfound obsession with wellness and zest for life by utilising the cross-platform power of Good Food and Sunday Life.
Good Food will unveil a reimagined website alongside brand extensions including the Good Food Taste Test, the Good Food Christmas special, and a brand-funded cooking show.
Good Food Kitchen, hosted by Adam Liaw and renowned chef Danielle Alvarez, will be an eight-part, brand-funded series launching October 9, 2021 at 1.00pm on Channel Nine. It will have its own hub on the Good Food website featuring video and recipe content, and a cross-platform presence.
Aimed at a predominantly female audience, in 2022 the Sunday Life magazine will take the retail experience to the next level, with click-and-collect prompts sitting alongside editorial features to allow readers to shop what they’re seeing.
There will also be a range of live events – from beauty tutorials to financial workshops – designed to drive people into bricks-and-mortar retail outlets to allow brands to tell their stories in crucial face-to-face activations.
Read more: Nine’s Good Food brand to see cross-platform expansion in 2022
State of Originality returns in 2022
Nine has also announced the return of State of Originality, Australia’s biggest advertising prize, with $1 million again up for grabs to the brand and agency that creates the most original ad in the 2022 State of Origin Series.
McDonald’s were the first winner with “End of Night” created by DDB with media partner OMD taking home the prize.
“McDonald’s brought us a beautiful ad to win the very first State of Originality, celebrating a part of the day few of us see, long after the big game is over. It was brilliantly crafted with a wicked soundtrack, It’s Oh So Quiet from Betty Hutton,” said Liana Dubois, Nine’s Director of Powered.
“In 2022, Nine will once again throw down the gauntlet, challenging advertisers to bring their big ideas to our screens to engage with our audiences.”
The State of Originality prize awards $1 million in advertising inventory across Nine’s television, radio, digital and print assets to the commercial judged the winner after the three live Origin telecasts.
The judges for 2022 include dynamic duo Josh Whiteman and Paul Chappell, co-founders of Brand+Story; Tara Ford, chief creative officer, The Monkeys; Liana Dubois, Director, Powered by Nine; Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn; and 3AW Breakfast presenter and media maven, Russel Howcroft.
Eligibility to enter requires advertising to be booked within the three-game period of State of Origin in 2022.