Direct TV – Marketing Communications – What happened to creativity?

Founded in 1990, Direct TV has had monumental success over the years with being ranked number 1 in customer satisfaction in selling television experience with over 39 million customers, having over 70 HD channels. Cable free technology has become their number differentiator and has affected majority of the cable TV companies. Direct TV promises its customers to “continue to develop the unique, innovative programming and services that you have come to expect and enjoy from DIRECTV.”

Direct TV has a very strong marketing communication budget that has lead them to increase their client base from 15 million in 2005 to 39 million in 2015 with an 11% cumulative growth.  In a stagnated industry growing in double digits draws a lot of attention from investors.

Recently they launched an advertisement starring a talking horse. Drawing millions of marketing communication budget funds towards this integrated campaign launch from television to the home page in their website. The below image is capture from Direct TV home page.

The fundamental value proposition of direct TV is the innovation in the distribution of the television experience. No longer cable when you have direct TV. When a company positions itself through innovation you expect a company to drive its entire strategy based on that concept.

1.       A bikini model

I do not understand the message Direct TV is trying to communicate to the world using a bikini model. Sexuality is not a part of direct TV’s value proposition. When a company for 12 consecutive years has become the number one in customer services, wouldn’t the company want to communicate that, why customers are happy using Direct TV? What special product augmented features offered by Direct TV? Instead they go with a bikini model.

2.     Why does this look like the old spice add

What has happened to the creativity of Direct TV? The first glance on this add just remembered me with the old spice add. It makes sense to have a male model in his beach outfit on a white horse to sell a perfume add. Perfumes are for attraction, it is about presenting yourself. But with direct TV a bikini model on a horse, it just don’t make sense.

I like the idea of the talking horse, you are selling television as an experience. You can expect to see anything based on the producer’s creativity. Which is a fact and people know it, they actually know what television channels offers, Americans know what HBO offers. Direct TV is just mechanism helping to distribute that. We do not want the largest distribution channels to tell us what they are distributing. We do not want Fedex to advertise on behalf of their primary source. Let the television channels to their own advertising, Direct TV can stick with what they do best, they distribute an experience. You should tell the world why Direct TV customers are more satisfied.