Amazon GSA 11/12

Q4 Media Plan Budget Reconciliation and Trajectory

• Budget evolution for December allocations:

  • Initial brief: December was established at an initial figure of $273$, which was recognized across planning teams as significantly too low to support planned operations.

  • Interim adjustments: Updated budget revisions increased the allocation to $437$ (trending near $438$).

  • Current ceiling: The most recent mandated target for December is finalized at $472$. Media plans must be reconciled to meet this exact $472$ figure.

  • Approved media plan discrepancy: An earlier approved plan from $\text{October } 29$ had December approved at $592$ (with working plans estimating roughly $590$). The newly assigned $472$ ceiling requires scaling back previously booked inventory.

• Budget evolution for November allocations:

  • Mid-October standing: Historical records from the middle of October documented a November budget allocation of $617$.

  • $\text{October } 29$ baseline: The approved media plan from $\text{October } 29$ raised the November budget to $703$.

  • Current baseline: The revised November total stands at $723$. This represents an increase of $100\,\text{k}$ over the previous brief and an increase of $20\,\text{k}$ over the approved $\text{October } 29$ plan.

• Inventory reconciliation actions:

  • Inventory adjustments from an uplift received $2$ to $3$ weeks prior placed high-impact Share of Voice (SOV) slots on hold.

  • Booked inventory within the working plan totaled $3$ SOVs, $1$ PVA, and $3$ high-end SOVs, which collectively drove the December spend up to approximately $590$.

  • Central bookings carry no conflict with December targets because central allocations were executed entirely in November.

  • Frisco King Above-The-Line (ATL) and Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) initiatives are segregated and not baked into these operational plans.

  • To resolve the gap between the booked $590$ and the mandated $472$ cap, the team must identify rotational budget to pull from or formally release booked SOVs.

Inventory Allocations and Share of Voice (SOV) Management

• Specific December SOV calendar bookings:

  • Booking dates: Specific high-impact SOV dates in December comprise $\text{December } 6$, $\text{December } 13$, and $\text{December } 27$.

  • Total cost impact: Maintaining all three dates booked in December accounts for the elevated $590$ budget total.

  • Release criteria: To bring commitments strictly below the $472$ ceiling, dates must either be released or individual inventory percentages reduced.

• Share of Voice percentage reductions versus date releases:

  • Current allocation: SOV percentages were planned at $50\%$ each for FTP.

  • Floor restrictions: For $5\text{ SP}$, a $50\%$ share represents the absolute lowest allowable threshold.

  • Retention strategy: The preferred path is paring down percentages rather than dropping booking dates outright, because securing lost dates back into the schedule is extremely difficult if incremental funds become available.

  • Incremental funding check: Outreach to Mike is underway to ascertain whether incremental budget will be granted to preserve full bookings.

  • Stakeholder management risks: Communicating to upper management that $100\,\text{k}$ must be extracted from confirmed bookings represents a critical operational friction point, particularly following earlier communications regarding incremental funds.

• Corrections and budget distribution:

  • Document discrepancy: Adjustments sent via email (cross-referencing communications from $\text{November } 12$ and $\text{May } 9$) involved shifting funds that were mistakenly allocated to the wrong calendar month.

  • Revised totals are being re-audited and updated within the hour following the call to lock in exact figures.

Frisco King Campaign Strategy and Above-The-Line (ATL) Distribution

• Above-The-Line (ATL) timeline and bookings:

  • Deliverable timing: Frisco King ATL strategic deliverables are scheduled for completion by the end of the current week.

  • Rotational inventory: A total of $73\,\text{k}$ has been booked for rotational placements.

  • Flight validation: Rotational inventory checks are focusing on active delivery validity for the dates of the $3\text{rd}$ and the $10\text{th}$.

• UEFA Champions League (UCL) January partnership:

  • Seasonal timeline: The campaign bridge extends across quarters and budget years, running continuously from December into January.

  • Territory execution: Lucy is locking in UCL inventory for The UK, with identical plans slated for Frisco King across the GSA territory (Germany, Switzerland, Austria).

  • Placement targeting: Inventory acquisition is targeting the halftime window due to open availability.

  • Team pairings: Borussia Dortmund versus Aston Villa is considered an ideal matchup, but any fixture involving a German squad satisfies campaign criteria given that this is the final match day of the group stage.

  • Network approvals: QVC network approvals for UCL coverage in January apply solely to The UK; GSA broadcasts require no QVC clearance.

Yellowjackets Creative Execution, Promo Windows, and Ad Clearance

• Promotional calendar and creative requirements:

  • Promotional launch: Comprehensive promotional messaging launches on $\text{November } 19$.

  • Title readiness: If scheduled SOV titles lack corresponding promotional creative during the promo window, those slots must shift to eligible titles.

  • Asset dependencies: Yellowjackets Creators creative is required for upcoming SOVs and always-on rotations. The Content ID for Eating with My Ex remains missing; operations can launch temporarily without it, but the ID will be integrated upon receipt.

• Single-title versus multi-title performance:

  • Historical data: Multi-title creatives consistently demonstrate superior conversion performance during promotional pushes compared to single-title creative.

  • Split execution: Where single titles are slated for $100\%$ SOV, inventory will be bifurcated into a $50/50$ split between the designated single title and the multi-title promotional asset.

  • Booking for $\text{November } 20$: An SOV scheduled on $\text{November } 20$ for Yellowjackets Creators will run as a $50/50$ split alongside multi-title promotional assets.

  • Audience segmentation: Delivery targets subscribers with the single-title Yellowjackets creative, while non-subscribers receive multi-title / promo player creative.

• Advertising policy rejections and clearance protocols:

  • Content violation: The Yellowjackets video creative is blocked by advertising policy due to footage featuring a screaming woman.

  • Creative workaround: If an ad policy exception is denied, campaigns will pair the multi-title promo video with a single-title Yellowjackets static display.

  • Regulatory history: Creative previously encountered review issues regarding an audio bleep that creative staff were unaware breached ad policies.

  • Regional precedent: The UK team shares the same centralized policy approval team, making a local clearance unlikely if The UK is rejected.

  • Canadian rights limitation: Canada cannot serve as an approval precedent because Canadian distribution rights for Yellowjackets belong to an external streaming entity.

  • Standalone delivery: Once promotional operations conclude on $\text{December } 1$, Yellowjackets transitions to standalone creative, requiring a compliant video cut delivered prior to that date.

Campaign Longevity, Title Bridging, and Performance Pivots

• Rationale for extended campaign flighting:

  • Launch date: Frisco King launches officially on $\text{December } 18$.

  • Campaign structure: The flight intentionally crosses quarters and corporate budget years from late December through the end of January.

  • Inventory justification: December allocations were tight, while January unlocks new fiscal year funding.

  • Programming gap: Following the $\text{December } 18$ premiere, only $2$ weeks remain in the calendar year, leaving zero new programming announcements for January.

  • Title bridge: Frisco King serves as the single sustained promotional driver through January until late February, when promotional efforts transition toward Landman $\text{Season } 3$.

• Contingency titles and performance pivots:

  • Audience-based rotations: If Frisco King underperforms, weight will shift into audience-based creative.

  • Tulsa King: Shared creative universe with Frisco King; remains active in market and presents a direct alternative.

  • Dexter: Strong current performance in-market, fully cleared and approved for UCL integration.

  • Mob Win: Approaching its series finale in early December, providing short-term utility before cycling out.

  • Eating with My Ex: Secondary candidate positioned to absorb additional budget allocation should viewership accelerate.

Operational Scheduling, Vendor Disputes, and Business Updates

• Media team operational schedule:

  • Post-meeting workflow: Updated budget sheets and SOV uplift documents are being delivered within the hour.

  • Monday sync: Urgent priority items will be addressed on Monday.

  • Staff availability: Key personnel will be out of office on Thursday and Friday of next week; Pascal will be on site to manage execution.

• Amazon billing and vendor dispute:

  • Scheduled meeting: An internal and partner meeting regarding Amazon is set for $10:00$.

  • Invoicing issue: Amazon unilaterally altered the "Bill To" entity on invoices without prior notification or documentation updates.

  • Commercial action: Invoices remain entirely unpaid until Amazon rectifies the invoicing path; team leadership instructed Ernie to cease accepting meeting requests and billing shifts under these conditions.

• Corporate performance metric:

  • Business status: Corporate reporting documents increasing market share.

Questions & Discussion

• Inquiry regarding shifting SOVs and percentage reductions:

  • Question: Should the team reduce SOV percentages to stay within budget, considering FTP was set at $50\%$ each?

  • Response: For $5\text{ SP}$, $50\%$ is the lowest allowable threshold. The overall plan must be audited. Budget mistakenly allocated to the wrong month was corrected in the latest update sent today. Percentages should be reduced where possible rather than forfeiting dates entirely, as dates will be difficult to regain if incremental budget becomes available. Mike will be contacted regarding potential incremental funds, avoiding an unfavorable conversation with management about cutting $100\,\text{k}$ from confirmed bookings.

• Inquiry regarding Frisco King ATL deliverable status:

  • Question: What remains owed regarding Frisco King ATL?

  • Response: Deliverables will be provided by the end of the week. Rotational inventory totaling $73\,\text{k}$ is booked, with validity checks underway for the $3\text{rd}$ and $10\text{th}$.

• Inquiry regarding upcoming SOV title requirements:

  • Question: Are any specific titles owed for upcoming SOVs?

  • Response: Yellowjackets Creators is needed for upcoming SOVs and always-on inventory. The Content ID for Eating with My Ex is missing, though campaigns can launch without it initially.

• Inquiry regarding $\text{November } 20$ Yellowjackets promotional split:

  • Question: Should the $\text{November } 20$ Yellowjackets SOV run as a split with multi-title creative?

  • Response: Yes. A $50/50$ split between the single title and the multi-title creative should be executed. Audience segmentation will direct Yellowjackets creative to subscribers and multi-title/promo creative to non-subscribers.

• Inquiry regarding static and video creative workarounds:

  • Question: If a newly cleared Yellowjackets video is unavailable by the launch date, can the campaign pair the multi-title promo video with a single-title Yellowjackets static asset?

  • Response: Approval must be secured, but it is expected to clear because the promotional messaging aligns. If an exception for the Yellowjackets creative cannot be obtained due to the screaming woman visual, the multi-title promo video will serve as the fallback.

• Inquiry regarding updated advertising policy documentation:

  • Question: Can an updated advertising policy guide be distributed to avoid repeated exception requests, similar to the audio bleep issue previously encountered?

  • Response: Updated guidelines will be requested and shared. The UK team is navigating the identical clearance barrier under the same centralized review team, making an exception unlikely. Canada cannot serve as a precedent due to differing streaming rights holders. A newly cut compliant video will be developed for post-promo standalone flighting by $\text{December } 1$.

• Inquiry regarding UCL network approvals for GSA:

  • Question: Are network approvals such as QVC required for UCL inventory in January for the GSA region?

  • Response: No. QVC approval applies exclusively to The UK. GSA activations do not require secondary network approval.

• Inquiry regarding the sustained length of the Frisco King campaign:

  • Question: What is the strategic rationale behind sustaining the Frisco King campaign through the end of January across different budget years rather than concentrating weight in December?

  • Response: The campaign spans quarters and budget years because December had limited available budget, whereas January unlocks new fiscal funds. Frisco King premieres on $\text{December } 18$, leaving only $2$ weeks left in the year and no new releases scheduled for January. The campaign bridges the programming gap until Landman $\text{Season } 3$ approaches in late February. If Frisco King underperforms, weight will pivot to Tulsa King or Dexter.