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J & J Skips Upfront

Johnson & Johnson will not commit ad dollars during this year’s upfront and Coca-Cola may not make any upfront purchases either, illustrating an increasing shift, on the part of marketers, away from commiting dollars during the upfront and toward a more year-round buying cycle, AdAge writes. A spokesman from Johnson & Johnson said that the company is moving from a broadcast year to a calendar year to bring the process in line with budgeting and planning, which means that negotiations would likely fall into a September timeframe.

The company also plans to devote up to 20 percent of its marketing spend to nontraditional media.

J & J is not alone in its wishes to move to a calendar-year cycle, according to the article. In fact, 83 percent of marketers at the ANA TV Forum in March said they wished the upfront would move to a calendar-year schedule.

The soft scatter market of the last year also makes it easier for advertisers to purchase TV time throughout the year.