NBCU is bringing its unique brand of fandom to the Cote D’Azur this year with several activations that will showcase new opportunities for advertisers to engage with the company across social, gaming, CTV, the metaverse, and other channels.
“We’re bringing the party and passion to Cannes to celebrate the fandom in everything we do,” said Jamie Cutburth, senior vice president of creative partnerships at NBCU. “Everything we do is about that fantastic relationship.”
The fandom-themed activations follow a theme NBCU has been laying out all year, from its developer conference in March through its Newfront and Upfont presentations in the spring. The theme is born out of company research indicating that the love viewers feel for NBCU’s media properties is 19% greater than for the competition. As a result, the brand’s intellectual properties increase fans’ emotional engagement by 25% over the rest of the entertainment landscape.
In addition, biometric research indicated that fans feel commercial time on NBCU properties is 93% as engaging as the brand’s content, said Yusuf Chuku, EVP of client strategy and insights for NBCU’s Advertising and Partnerships. (Chuku will be speaking at Brand Innovators Marketing Leadership Summit on Tuesday, June 21.)
“Fandom goes beyond liking a show; it evolves into a relationship, filled with anticipation, dedication, even expectation,” Chuku said. “It summons the kind of devotion so many brands want to cultivate.”
These themes will be hammered home across several activations at Cannes, including a panel on the “Future of TV,” a keynote presentation on NBCU’s efforts to build a “One Video Future” featuring company CEO Jeff Shell, and how “Identity is the New Currency.”
In addition, NBCU will be showcasing “#TheFandomFactor” through activations leveraging Bravo’s insanely popular reality programming. Keying off the brand’s “BravoCon” events (which began in 2019), NBCU is presenting “BravoCannes,” a massive celebration that will feature a party on a superyacht (a la the “Below Deck” franchise), featuring guest DJ Boy George), and a special “Watch What Happens Live” event featuring stars from Bravo’s “Below Deck” and “Real Housewives” properties.
“We are very excited to showcase one of the greatest examples of fandom that exist. These are the experiences that our audiences are falling in love with,” said Cutburth said. “We’re trying to demonstrate that our fandom events are not just lean-back experiences. They can become immersive opportunities.”
