NEW YORK—Remember when Amazon sold books and only books? It seemed like a lifetime longer than 25 years ago at Amazon’s NewFront 2022 earlier this month, when the now-megabrand dazzled buyers and advertisers with a 90-minute presentation fronted by actress, comedian, and producer Amy Poehler.
As the first live edition of the NewFront event since 2019, powered by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the event was designed to not only show advertisers how to utilize Amazon’s plethora of offerings as vehicles of promotion, but also to get people away from their screens. “People are sick of screentime!” said Danielle Tauber, vice president, business development, at Freeman Company, the event management company behind the night.
To tap into that need to escape the screen, this year, Amazon took over the 2,544-seat David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, playing into the lavish venue as a dance theater and opening the night with a ballet performance followed by an effervescent, choreographed act by the Blue Angels Drumline, an NYC-based youth program. Tauber said of the space: “Lincoln Center was quite literally made for a show.”
Regarding the live lineup, “shorter, dynamic, surprise-and-delight content segments see higher engagement and feedback,” Tauber explained. “This insight led us to our final presentation format with multiple executives, celebrities, and entertaining vignettes.”
Amy Poehler hosted the night, and Danielle Tauber, the vice president, business development at Freeman Company, said that "she brought just the right amount of laughter and entertainment to the show."Photo: Michael Loccisano, Getty Images
The event took over the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.Photo: Ed Marshall
Advertisers were also shown how to reach their target audience organically through Virtual Product Placement (VPP) on Amazon Freevee and Prime Video, plus optimize goals with Amazon’s marketing cloud, a streaming TV media planner, as well as omnichannel metrics designed to measure total ad impact.
In between a storytelling presentation with head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke; an informational discussion with Ryan Pirozzi and Lauren Anderson, the co-heads of content and programming at Freevee; and a question-and-answer-style conversation between NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, sportscaster Al Michaels, and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, Poehler brought comedic relief, quipping about advertising and the slow-moving panels that opened and closed as talent was introduced to the stage.
Show programming opened with a ballet performance courtesy of a ballerina with the New York City Ballet, followed up with an act by the Blue Angels Drumline, and a host of educational conversations on Amazon's Freevee, Twitch, amazon Music, and Prime Video.Photo: Michael Loccisano, Getty Images
Tauber noted of the curated programming: “Yes, they [attendees] need content and the announcements, but they are also craving peer engagement and personal interaction.” So, to top off an otherwise prim-and-proper presentation, Amazon concluded the evening with an after-party outside the theater, around Lincoln Center’s famed fountain, where guests could let loose as DJ D-NICE spun tracks on an elevated platform while enjoying drinks and light bites.
And after seeing that “attendees are thirsty for in-person engagement beyond the presentations themselves,” Tauber said that for NewFront events to come, Amazon will look to “create on-site experiences for people to mix and mingle and enjoy being together.”
DJ D-NICE spun tracks during the event's after-party, which took place outside the theater, around Lincoln Center’s famed fountain.Photo: Ed Marshall
After-Party Production: Pass the Salt
Creative Experience Agency: Optimist Inc.
Talent: New York City Ballet, Blue Angels Drumline, DJ D-NICE
