Fox Cable Networks Group's National Geographic Channel is about to break its
first affiliate campaign touting high-speed Internet access, in conjunction with
AT&T Broadband.
The MSO's nationwide participation will begin during the week of Nov. 4, Fox
Cable senior vice president of affiliate marketing Janice Arouh said.
Arouh -- whose group has been pitching such an effort to Charter
Communications Inc. and other MSOs lately -- said several operators expressed 'a
lot of interest in a campaign involving National Geographic Channel due to its
strong branding.'
Fox Cable's 'High-Speed Data Exploration Kit' will include a CD-ROM with two
cross-channel spots of different lengths to drive acquisition, as well as a
customizable postcard and online banner ads, Arouh said.
The umbrella theme for the marketing materials is, 'There's Always More to
Explore.'
'The No. 1 benefit is speed' compared with telephone modems, Arouh said,
adding that cable modems can offer 'richer content.'
To drive that message home, the postcard and other marketing materials noted
that NGC's Web site (www.nationalgeographic.com/channel) is 'best explored with
a high-speed, cable-powered Internet connection,' she added.
In early November, AT&T Broadband will send its customers a flash
electronic-mail message to supplement the NGC materials, according to Arouh.
The MSO, still working on specific offers for its marketing effort, will also
place online banner ads on various unidentified Internet sites that reach
demographics similar to NGC's audience.
