Studios and cable companies are encouraging consumers to "push it" in sequel to last year's successful cooperative marketing campaign.
Ads using that tagline -- evoked by a rap song by Salt-N-Pepa and referring to ordering by hitting a button on the remote -- are at the heart of what the companies are calling a $10 million national integrated marketing campaign.
One spot, pegged to Universal's Little Fockers, can be seen at this YouTube link.
This is the sequel to a campaign last year that was credited with elevating movie buys, especially among light users and new users. The campaign won a chairman's award at last fall's CTAM Summit. The Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing is leading the campaign, aided by In Demand, the cable company-owned on-demand program distributor.
The campaign emphasizes hit movies that increasingly are offered on cable the same day as DVD and 28 days before most other rental options.
"An increasing number of consumers are interested in renting movies at home on demand on cable," Michele Edelman, vice president, worldwide marketing, programming and acquisitions, at Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Movies On Demand initiative co-chair, said in a release. "So we plan to be there with the hottest titles at the earliest opportunity. We're excited to communicate about it in such a unique way."
"Cable companies and movie studios have demonstrated we can provide customers with a product they want, when they want it and at a price they can afford," Joe Rooney, senior vice president, branding, advertising and social media, Cox Communications and co-chair of the Movies on Demand initiative, also said in the release. "The current movie rental climate is a pivotal time for us to join together and promote a long list of hit titles to avid movie fans and frequent On Demand viewers, along with light users and customers who are still unaware of the service."
In 2010, 132 films were released day-and date, more than double the number in 2009, the campaign said.
Rentrak 2010 set-top box data showed paid video-on-demand (VOD) transactions rose 11%, to 116 million, with revenue up 15% in the first half of 2010 versus the same period in 2009, CTAM said.
"Directly attributable to the 2010 campaign, Rentrak reported a 36% increase in average monthly revenue among light users, an 18% increase among new purchasers to the category, and sustained elevated usage rates among both groups following the campaign," CTAM said.
In a post-campaign survey conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates, 81% of respondents reported enjoying the convenience of Movies On Demand and nearly two-thirds said it was a good value for the money.
Sixty titles will be featured in the ads throughout the year. The opening slate includes: The Dilemma, with Jennifer Connelly and winner Wynona Ryder (Universal); The Green Hornet, with Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz (Sony); Gulliver's Travels, with Jack Black (Fox), and No Strings Attached, with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman (Paramount).
"We have seen significant growth in VOD transactions especially with day and date releases like Black Swan which is currently one of the top VOD titles in the country," Jamie McCabe, executive vice president, worldwide pay per view, video on demand, and electronic sell-through, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, said in the release. "Fox's continued participation in the Movies On Demand campaign reflects our commitment to growing the VOD category with our cable distributers and raising consumer awareness of the benefits of VOD."
Cable companies in the initiative include Atlantic Broadband, Armstrong, BendBroadband, Bright House Networks, Cablevision Systems, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Insight, Mediacom Communications, Suddenlink Communications and Time Warner Cable.
The studios include 20th Century Fox, Image Entertainment, Lionsgate, NBC Universal, Paramount, Relativity, Sony/Columbia, Summit Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
