Though the Olympics is already setting ad sales records, the Games were also on full display with Snoop Dogg, Thompson, Hart and Mike Tirico all talking up the event. NBCU also had its other sports properties in the spotlight, including Sunday Night Football, its exclusive streaming-only NFL game from Brazil, Big Ten matchups and even the 2026 Super Bowl, which Marshall told ADWEEK the company is already in discussions about.
Results of ad offerings
Marshall closed out the presentation, joking that the event’s biggest surprise was that he was “renewed for Season 2” after stepping into the job at the last minute in 2023.
Among the ad highlights, Marshall touted the company’s One Platform Total Audience offering, which utilizes NBCU’s AI-driven planning and activation tech, leveraging the company’s investments in automation and data to provide deduplicated reach through a single buy across linear and streaming.
“We partnered with Amgen and OMG to run two parallel campaigns. Both equal dollars—however, one plan [was on] One Platform Total Audience, while the other was a legacy transaction,” Marshall said. “The results exceeded even our own expectations. One Platform Total audience delivered 38% higher in-target cross-platform reach and more importantly, a 22% increase in search volume.”
The ad sales chief also noted that a project with Dominos and GroupM involved running two parallel campaigns to track purchases on the app and website, resulting in a 38% increase vs. a traditional plan.
“Dominos has been buying NBCU and its content for decades, because it works for their brand. Yet, One Platform Total Audience drove a 38% increase in sales just by finding the right connection to the right consumer at the right time,” Marshall noted.
Other highlights
Kelly Clarkson ended the event by belting out her iconic “Stronger” chorus, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” which all the victims of Seth Meyers’ roast should also keep in mind.
In addition to Meyers’ Yaccarino joke, the Late Night With Seth Meyers host took aim at Paramount, saying he was in the running for the company after finding money on the street.
“It’s been a very good day for me. I found $20 on the street this morning. Long story short, I’m one of the two finalists for Paramount,” Meyers said.