DISH Net’s latest campaign doesn’t feature an inflatable pig or a big red question mark. Simply put, it sucks. The Publicis West spots launched Tues and feature a TV literally sucking up everything in a room-from a purse to food to the family cat. The hook is that TV doesn’t have to suck if you subscribe to DISH. Actors throw out lines like, "My TV sucks," and "Wow, it sucks hard," which prompted us to wonder if the indecency police would be knocking down EchoStar’s door (growing up, this Cfax editor got smacked by her mama every time she uttered the word ‘suck’). "We feel that it’s clear from the physical humor that no vulgarity is intended at all," DISH said. DISH launched micro Web site suckfreetv.com, which includes the TV spots and a game that lets you "take a walk in a cable subscriber’s shoes" and suck up everything in a living room with the TV, including grandma’s wig. The ads and Web site got a mild lashing on advertising blog Adrant. "The microsite does a good job making fun of bad TV all in the name of promoting DISH Network," the bloggers wrote. "The problem is, TV doesn’t suck. The argument that satellite TV is better than cable is no longer appropriate if it ever was in the first place. In fact, cable may be better than satellite in some respects when it comes to features like HBO On Demand which, we’re told, isn’t available via satellite; speedy Internet access and the ability to use cheap phone service like Vonage over the cable connection." DISH wouldn’t say if it plans to descend on local cable operators with a "Stop TV from Sucking" protest (a la the cable pig), but it sounds like Adrant provided just the right answer for cable ops if it does.

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