TWC Presents Advanced Services in $15M Gift Wrap
Byline: ANTHONY CRUPI
The only way to truly get a look into the soul of an MSO – or its business plan, rather – is through its advertising campaigns.
To that end, keep an eye open for Time Warner Cable’s new ad campaign for its suite of advanced services. TWC’s $15 million campaign, which encompasses both broadcast spots and print, revolves around the central themes of empowerment and possibility.
Although the iconography isn’t radically different from other cable campaigns (attractive families gathering around the cathode-ray hearth), what drives the message home is the understated tagline. “Now, anything’s possible,” TWC tells us, a notion that works as both a clarion call to the consumer and a mission statement for the company.
Chuck Ellis, TWC’s EVP and chief marketing officer, says the campaign will help educate consumers about the advanced services on offer (VOD, SVOD, DVR, with “others to follow”). But it can also be seen as something of a territorial marking. “We have rolled out many products in many systems,” Ellis says. “We’re in front of the industry in terms of the speed with which we’re bringing products to market. This campaign acknowledges that.”
Ellis is quick to bring the conversation back to the customer’s side of the equation. “The idea of empowerment, of allowing our customers to access and use products via the iControl VOD platform, feeds into our philosophy of overall customer service,” he says.
By the end of December, TWC will have rolled out all phases of the campaign, which SVP of marketing Brian Kelly says “will signify a new era at Time Warner.” The picture should also get a lot clearer then. As it stands now, the first TV spot features a winged pig in conjunction with the tagline, but no mention of iControl or any other VOD offering.
THE NEXT QUESTION:
*Will TWC’s campaign force rival MSOs to reconsider their own advanced services rollouts?
For projections for the VOD market, see “VOD & ITV Investor” at www.kagan.com
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