Fox is offering new NFL ad formats that will "bring sponsors 'closer to the action' during upfront discussions," according to Jon Lafayette of BROADCASTING & CABLE. During Fox’ upfront presentation on Monday, President of Advertising Revenue Joe Marchese is "expected to pitch the idea of bringing brands closer to the content in entertainment shows and closer to the action in sports." The new NFL ad format would "appear when a whistle blows." Instead of going to a promo, Fox will go "directly to a commercial." A branded animation will "tie [the] game to the commercial." In one example, a soda can would "appear and 'swipe' from the game into the spot." Or the ad could "appear at the end of a break, and go directly in to the game, with the promo moved inside the pod." The idea is to "catch fans while they are still attentive, rather than having a promo signal that it’s time to make a sandwich or check the score on another game." Marchese is trying to "appeal to advertisers by reducing the commercial load in Fox shows." By '20, Marchese has said that he wants Fox to be "airing just two minutes’ worth of commercials" per hour (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 5/10).
