Mark Marshall has been given a lot of time to prepare for NBC Universal’s annual presentation to advertisers. Last year, he only had 72 hours.
Marshall, a longtime second-in-command at NBCU’s ad-sales division, at about this time last year found himself unexpectedly in charge of the company’s “upfront” process — an annual sale of advertising that has in recent years generated approximately $7 billion in commitments from sponsors — after the abrupt departure of his colorful predecessor, Linda Yaccarino. She had served in the role since 2012 and surprised her corporate bosses and dozens of clients by taking a new job as CEO of X, the social-media hub once known as Twitter.
NBC typically dazzles Madison Avenue with talk of BravoCon, “Sunday Night Football” and “Saturday Night Live.” Marshall was being asked to do just that when the chatter around…
