Why The First LGBTQ NewFronts Needed A Unique Presentation For A Unique Message

In today’s crowded marketing landscape, it’s more important than ever to have a unique message that stands out from the competition. As the only LGBTQ+ streaming network that is diverse owned and targeted, we have that with Revry. Our four equal co-founders reflect the community we serve and are minority business owners. This makes for a truly unique business proposition when talking about the Revry offering to brand marketers. As CMO, I know that simply having a unique message isn’t enough and we have to make sure everyone knows it and believes it.

Earlier this year, Revry was offered the opportunity to present at the IAB NewFronts, the annual marketplace for digital video platforms and publishers, held in New York City. This year looked to be a little different with the IAB dedicating a day to “give underserved voices a voice,” IAB CEO David Cohen told Digiday .

On Wednesday, May 3rd, Revry took the IAB stage as the first LGBTQ-focused presentation since the NewFronts was founded in 2012. Before we ‘werked’ that stage, we had decided to deliver our differentiated message in a unique way that would capture attention and resonate with brands and agencies.

Welcome to the Wizard of Yaaaaas! We took the stage with an epic performance of singing and dancing our message in a Wizard of Oz-inspired production. Dorothy, played by singer Madison Rose , travels the land of Yaaaaas with Revry co-founder and CEO Damian Pelliccione who guides Dorothy along the rainbow road to see the Wizard, played by the transgender recording artist and activist Mila Jam .

Why did we do this production instead of a traditional presentation?

To Cut Through The Noise.

With so many presentations that week from much bigger companies than Revry, i.e. Samsung, VIZIO, Amazon and Roku, we knew we needed to find a way to make our message heard. Our unique delivery did just that. For example, Dorothy, or more specifically Dorothy Inc and her CMO Toto, represented the brands that know they need to reach LGBTQ+ consumers, invest in diverse-owned and targeted media, and they don’t know where to begin.

To Build Trust.

People are more likely to trust a brand that is authentic and genuine. Our presentation was true to who we are as a network and a brand. Since Revry was co-founded in 2015, we have inspired the exploration of authentic voices from the queer community for the social and economic benefit of the community. Our unique delivery helped us build trust by showing our audience that we’re different from the competition. For example, instead of the PowerPoint and sales executive-led presentations featured all week, we brought our programming and community to life with an energy-fueled performance.

To Create A Memorable Experience.

People are more likely to remember a message from a unique and memorable experience. A unique delivery can help create this experience by using unexpected or creative elements. For example, our amazing dancers performing ballroom on stage alongside Madison Rose and Mila Jam singing a song they co-wrote in 2022 for McDonald’s called “Pride Don’t Stop” was simply unexpected and unforgettable.

To Drive Engagement.

A unique delivery can help drive engagement with your target audience. Our goal was to build awareness of Revry and to create a connection with our brand with the brands and agencies that don’t know about us yet. For example, we handed clack fans to the audience so they could clack along with the ballroom dancers and music. The room was electric with participation and phones recording and sharing the performance on social media.

To Generate Leads.

A unique delivery can help generate leads by providing value to your audience and making them want to learn more about your brand. For example, at the end of the presentation, we displayed a QR code where interested advertisers could download a formal presentation with all the details and specifications normally found in a NewFronts presentation. Moments after the performance, photos from the live performance were included in a dedicated email with the presentation link sent to the NewFronts in-person registrants. Needless to say, we exceeded our ead generation expectations.

If your marketing and communications messaging stands out from the competition, don’t forget to focus on the delivery. A unique delivery can help you cut through the noise, build trust, create a memorable experience, drive engagement, and generate leads. It did for us.

In case you missed the performance, you can watch it on the IAB NewFronts 2023 site.

Special thanks to Eric John and Sheryl Goldstein for all your support!!!