Time Warner spokesman Damon Porter said the Kansas City area telecommunications company — which offers cable, Internet and telephone services, including in bundled packages — had always faced competition but acknowledged it was getting more intense.
“We know that customers in the Kansas City area have a lot of different options, but we think they also need to know we have a good product,” Porter said. “This is also good for retention, to remind our customers of what we have to offer.”
The Hate Puppies print ad is a variation on one of a half-dozen TV spots starring comedian Mike O’Malley, perhaps best known as the sort of nonstarter (but happy) brother-in-law on the TV sitcom “Yes, Dear.” He’s also in the recently released movie “Leatherheads” with George Clooney.
O’Malley uses a humorous yet incredulous tone to home in on what Time Warner says are its advantages, including more and better viewing options and a more cohesive and understandable billing system.
The Hate Puppies print ad zeroes in on DirecTV: “DirecTV wants you to spend money on HD instead of dog food, therefore, they Hate Puppies. Direct TV doesn’t have free HD. Time Warner Cable does.”
Of course, AT&T and DirectTV have their own advertising efforts directed mostly Time Warner.
A campaign from AT&T features a character who’s supposed to represent Time Warner. He knocks on a family’s front door, announces the limited-time offer from Time Warner is over, and takes the mom’s checkbook, the little girl’s piggy bank and any other loose change he can find.
And then there’s the over-the-top creepy DirecTV ad featuring Kathy Bates in a scene with James Caan from the 1990 Stephen King thriller “Misery.”
In various markets, though not Kansas City to the best of my knowledge, cable and telecom companies are suing each other over what they say are false claims. For instance, Verizon recently filed a false-claims lawsuit against Time Warner, and AT&T has filed a similar one against Comcast.
Back to KC
The Kansas City ad community has been working as a whole to gain a higher-profile foothold on the national scene.
Toward that end, last year the Ad Club of Kansas City and area agencies coordinated the first National Agency Search Consultants event, which was such a hit that it’s putting on the show again on Friday.
Consultants expected to attend are Cathy Cohan of Roth Associates; Lorraine Rojek of the Rojek Consulting Group; Brian Martin of SourceMartin; Jan Boyle of MatchWorks; Lynn Osborne of Ad Management Insights; and Dan Pearlman of Bob Wolf Partners/TPG.
Collectively, the group has an impressive list of clients, large and small, with some of the best-known names being Diamond Nuts, Lands’ End, Delta, Travelocity, Citibank, AARP, Clairol, Burger King, Kia Motors and Mobil.
The event this year takes place at the Hilton President Hotel beginning with registration at 11:30 a.m., followed with a lunch and panel presentation from noon until 1:30 p.m. That event will take place after the consultants will have already toured seven area agencies: Barkley, Bernstein-Rein, Nicholson Kovac, Sullivan Higdon & Sink, Two West, VML and Zillner Marketing Communications.
For more information, contact the Ad Club at 816-822-0300.
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