FierceCable: DirecTV ads warn viewers to 'get rid of cable'

[Mojo Jojo]

[h=1]DirecTV ads warn viewers to 'get rid of cable'[/h] January 6, 2012 — 7:40am ET | By Steve Donohue




Rather than focus on exclusive programming such as its "NFL Sunday Ticket" package or products like its TiVo DVRs, DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) is relying purely on humor in a new series of TV ads that encourage viewers to "get rid of cable."

Created by Grey New York, the three ads poke fun at everything from cable customer service to the price of cable bills, depicting subscribers who are not happy with their cable service and the consequences that result when they act out on their frustrations.
One of the spots begins with a cable subscriber who is on hold with a customer service representative at a call center. "When your cable company keeps you on hold, you get angry. When you get angry, you go blow off steam," the narrator says, as the subscriber is then shown playing racquetball. "When you go blow off steam, accidents happen," he says as the subscriber is hit in the eye by a racquetball. The ad continues with the subscriber being given an eye patch, and he is later challenged to a fight. "When you get an eye patch, people think you're tough. When people think you're tough, people want to see how tough. When people want to see how tough, you wake up in a roadside ditch. Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of cable and upgrade to DirecTV."
Another spot begins with a man who throws his cable remote after opening his cable bill, which prompts his wife to leave him. He later grows a beard, and begins to collect stray animals. "When you pay too much for cable, you throw things. When you throw things, people think you have anger issues," DirecTV says in the ad.
DirecTV has previously relied on programming offers and promotions related to packages such as its NFL Sunday Ticket package to lure subscribers through TV ads. That strategy helped it sign a record 327,000 subscribers during the third quarter.
Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), DirecTV's biggest cable rival, has also turned to humor to lure new customers. Its latest ad campaign pokes fun of satellite TV providers, telling viewers, "Don't be a dish head."
For more:
- Mediabistro has this story

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[TD] One of DirecTV's latest ads. Click here for the videos.

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Read more: DirecTV ads warn viewers to 'get rid of cable' - FierceCable DirecTV ads warn viewers to 'get rid of cable' - FierceCable
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[charper1]

sure fun ADVERT humor

 

[satjay]

Dont think I have seen the other two. But I have seen the first one on TV, kind of funny

 

[Jimbo]

I like the Ditch one, the Animal one is OK and haven't seen then dog collar kid one on TV yet.

 

[Mr Tony]

What's cable?

Oh yeah.....thats the thing with the colecovision guide and coming 2/1 higher DVR prices than Dish
17.95 for a dual tuner single output DVR
(Crapcast)

 

[cjwct]

The Roadside Ditch was the first one I saw weeks ago. I was rolling on the floor laughing at my brother who lives in NY. Consequently he has TWC and between the ridiculous looking guide, long pause between changing channels, and the weekly box freeze ups, he is stuck because his apartment building can not get satellite

 

[cave1376]

LMAO at the baby with a dog collar.

 

[fireponcoal]

These are incredible.. Hah!

 

[Aridon]

Any time I get tricked into watching an advertisement I know its a good one. Excellent marketing job with those new .

 

[NGeorge]

I work in advertising, and believe the best ads create a sense of wonder about the product. The *best* satellite system ads ever produced have to be the initial run from Primestar when they went digital--I still remember these whenever I open up/try out a really cool new piece of technology:
PrimeStar Launch SuperBowl Commercial - YouTube

Rather than relying on humor or bitching about cable, they should modernize this concept... show WHY their product is better than cable (other than "it goes out" or "I get put on hold") and make people want it. In the same vein as the Primestar ads, I'd say the best modern example of this is what Virgin Media did in the UK with Tivo. We all know what a Tivo does (btw, my Premieres just got the new v20.x software similar to the Virgin boxes Saturday night--yay --but D* could do something like this for their DVRs--maybe break it up into 30's and 60's:
UK Virgin Media TiVo - YouTube

I know the modern way of thinking is that there is no way to create wonder in a product that people are used to or is a commodity (or the most annoying one that people won't make up their minds unless their friends do it for them w/ social media)--but I don't buy it, and although the D* ads mentioned by the OP are better than some of their other efforts (and blow away most marketing E* does since I'm convinced they do a lot of it in house), I'd like to seem them do something that doesn't rely on pure humor.

--Nat

 

[hclarkjr]

i have seen 2 of the 3 and liked the 2 i have seen so far.