ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR A NETWORK OR CABLE OPERATOR
WINNER:
PICO ADWORKS
& CABLEVISION
MEXICO FOR “AND
WITH YOUR DISH,
DO WHATEVER
YOU LIKE”
Cablevision Mexico retaliated
against SKY by using satellite’s
symbol as a weapon.
Pico Adworks
helped Cablevision Mexico attack its competitor, SKY, by
focusing on that silly-looking gizmo attached to people’s
rooftops—the satellite dish. This admittedly negative ad
campaign was launched in reaction to SKY’s public mocking
of Cablevision Mexico and its customers. The timing of Cablevision Mexico’s campaign was everything, though—the
Combos package of TV, Internet and phone services had
just launched, enabling Pico to craft a campaign that cast
SKY as a one-trick pony. TV, print and point-of-purchase
ads showed Cablevision customers finding new and absurd
uses for their deactivated dishes, ironically highlighting the
limitations of satellite. Pico’s ultimate message for consum-
ers: Buy a triple play from cable and liberate your satellite
dish from the bonds of its preordained destiny. ♣
WINNER:
MK ADVERTISING FOR SHOWTIME’S
2007 NCTA CAMPAIGN
Fast Facts
\ 259 campaign spots ran between July and September 2007.
\ Cablevision added 24,487 customers during those months.
One network, one cast, no fear of The Sopranos.
MK Advertising
did a good job making attendees at last year’s NCTA Cable Show forget
about HBO and its retired poster boy, Tony from New Jersey. MK’s ads in
cable trade publications leading up to the show in Vegas last spring presented bold close-ups of well-known talent from Showtime’s top original
series, such as Jonathan Rhys Meyers ( The Tudors), Mary-Louise Parker
( Weeds) and David Duchovny (Californication). Rather than pitching the
shows themselves, MK pitched the stars and made them look like they
were part of one cast: the cast of Showtime. Not a bad way to create
a cohesive identity for the premium network. The tagline—“The hottest shows are now on Showtime”—reinforced the sense of a shift in the
balance of power and the emphasis on sex as a counterpoint to another
certain network’s emphasis on angst and spiritual crises. ♣
Honorable Mentions:
American Life TV for “I’m a Baby of a Baby
Boomer”—The network for baby boomers boosted awareness of its programming and target audience w ith spots
featuring baby boomers such as Joe Namath, Patti Lupone,
Graydon Carter and Susan Sarandon with their child ren.
International Networks for On Demand’s Newest
Community…Filipino—Print and Web ads for the newly
launched Filipino On Demand channel fea tured Filipino celebrities who helped educate the target audience about Comcast’s
on-demand content.
tru TV Launch Campaign— The Jan. 1 re-brand of Court
TV was hard to avoid. It was trumpeted with a pulse-quick-ening high-definition, surround-sound theatrical trailer
that distinguished tru TV’s fact-based content from bogus
“reality” programming; a prom o also pop ped up on the Do w
Jones ticker on New Year’s Eve.
\ MK Advertising used a consistent color treatment in the
close-up ads of Showtime’s stars.
\ A five-page false cover promoting Showtime’s original
series and strip ads ran in the trades to convey the sense
that Showtime is everywhere.
