Outsiders at Summit
Sunday’s opening session at CTAM Summit was notable if only because non-cable speakers delivered useful messages for cable. Phil Klein, a vp for Disney affiliate Buena Vista Datacasting, said the recent MovieBeam campaign played on customers’ inherent loathing of video store late fees. "All our communications reinforce these 2 main ideas: convenience and simplicity," Klein said. (Is there a more important message for cable to absorb in marketing VOD?) Sirius’ Mary Pat Ryan was refreshingly blunt about early missteps, observing the company name was a "nightmare." A content deal with the NFL, a new TV campaign with Pats QB Tom Brady and savvy partnerships with auto makers and Hertz should help clarify Sirius’ brand. We’re guessing cable marketers took notes.