NewFronts Day 2: snakes, brand safety and Conde Nast takes Hudson Yards | Advertising Age

After Day 1 of the NewFronts, we are already left asking, Why do many of these presentations still exist? Overall, the kick-off to the week-long event resulted in little buzz and few wow moments. Many of the so-called announcements made across Manhattan, from the TimesCenter to the PlayStation Theater, felt forced and created just to have a reason to get up on stage and remind advertisers that they exist.

Hopefully, Day 2, which includes pitches from Studio71, Condé Nast and Verizon Media, will have some more meat. As with our Day 1 live-blog, today’s series of dispatches come to you from Ad Age’s Jeanine Poggi, Ilyse Liffreing and Garett Sloane.

4:30 p.m. ET Party time

Condé Nast took over the whole food hall at Mercado Little Spain for its NewFronts after-party. —J.P.

3:45 p.m. ET Anna Wintour will now take your questions

Anna Wintour made an appearance at Condé Nast’s NewFronts presentation, answering questions from the audience. What handbag does she recommend this season? Well, she is the wrong person to ask, because she rarely carries a handbag. But Condé’s artistic director (and, of course, Vogue editor-in-chief) does have thoughts on some other topics. The Broadway show to see? “Moulin Rouge.” And Wintour says two of the most important people in the world right now are Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who is running for president. —J.P.

3:15 p.m. ET Our YouTube is safe

Condé Nast's Chief Marketing Officer Pam Drucker Mann talks up Condé’s partnership with YouTube. “I know buying YouTube can sometimes be a little tricky," she says, but Condé Nast is a different sort of YouTube publisher, she insists, because it creates and controls all of its own content to be brand-safe. —J.P. 

2:45 p.m. ET Condé Nast makes big declaration

The sign (below) seen upon entering Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards, where the publishing giant is hosting its NewFront presentation. Very different from the $60 million penthouse it rented out last year. —J.P.

1:15 p.m. ET Snake on a head

Studio71’s hoopla included a man with a python wrapped around his head. 

1:00 p.m. ET Safety first

Studio71 emphasized brand safety at its presentation, focusing on its new-and-improved tool Context, which will monitor comments and links and remove unsavory content. —J.P.

[from http://bit.ly/2VwvxLm]