19
Feb
You know that DIRECTV, which will soon offer 150 channels in High-Definition Television (more than any cable provider) had to do something dramatic for its new marketing campaign, in which it advertises HDTV and DVR features three years in advance of doomsday—the end of analog television transmission. What better way to advertise the new generation of old television than by contracting fictitious TV characters to speak of DIRECTV’s innovations?
While listening to a salesperson sing the praises of DIRECTV’s impressive TV line up may not motivate you to make the inevitable switch from cable to satellite, maybe the honest words of Scooby Doo and Shaggy will. One of DIRECTV’s most memorable advertisements (first airing in 2006) sees the Scooby Doo gang promoting the DirecTV satellite service. That’s right, the original cartoon characters have returned. DIRECTV must have promised Hanna-Barbara a whole bag of Scooby Snacks. Nevertheless, the advertising campaign has turned some heads and focused attention on DIRECTV as the new age savior to the common couch potato, who is soon going to have to install a special converter box on his or her television set. (Unless the household already has a DTV set).
In this unusually short Scooby-Doo adventure, the Mystery Machine is parked outside of a haunted house. The gang has captured the villain known as Creeper and have tied him to a lounge chair. Velma unmasks the villain only to discover that it was really…the cable guy? “Zoinks!” Shaggy screams, while Velma reminds viewers that DIRECTV now has more HD channels than cable—which perfectly explains the motive of The Creeper/The Cable Guy who was involved in a massive conspiracy trying to stop everyone from switching their cable to DIRECTV. (In addition, you know he could have gotten away with it, if not for that meddling dog!)
However, DIRECTV’s campaign has not only exhumed Scooby Doo and friends but also Captain Kirk and Spock from Star Trek—starring the original actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, looking unusually youthful thanks to cutting-edge CGI visual effects. What other iconic TV shows did DIRECTV salute in their 2006-2007 campaign? Bill Harding of the film Twister returned as played by Bill Paxton, while The Economics Teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was revisited courtesy of Ben Stein. Dr. Emmett Brown (as played by Christopher Lloyd) traveled to us from 1985, while Baywatch’s favorite lifeguard, C.J. Parker, (Pamela Anderson) scolded us for watching HDTV while she was saving some poor drowning beach-dweller. Other cameo appearances included Rick Vaughn from Major League and Turtle from Entourage. The best DIRECTV recreation? Ellen Ripley of Aliens fame as Sigourney Weaver reappears to fight off aliens while speaking directly to us on the great features of HDTV. You have to figure that all those great cinema and TV heroes were fighting for more than just truth and adventure—who doesn’t take time off saving the world to watch TV?
The visual effects were astonishing and also well symbolized the high-tech features that Digital TV, and DIRECTV, one of the world’s leading providers, can offer the home viewer. After all, if you won’t listen to a re-animated fictional character from beyond the grave, then who would you believe?