Hooking the Pirates / This is a prime example of a brand leveraging contextual targeting to intercept prospects at a crucial moment in the user journey. While we’ve seen the baiting tactic of ‘free streaming’ being deployed before, the brand has gone a step further in this case and actually produced bespoke content. This not only drives the message home, but also creates something engaging for people to share and talk about. With widespread media coverage and significant social traction, the campaign certainly managed to captured the popular imagination of its target audience.
Beaten at their own game / While some might be wary of obstructing fans that are desperately hunting for a free stream, the creative execution here is sufficiently tongue-in-cheek to neutralise any ill will. People stumbling across this broadcast are likely to appreciate the astute comic detail that has gone into its creation. In The Contagious Commandments, we talk about the importance of brands engaging in behaviour that is useful, relevant or entertaining – and preferably all in concert. Here we can see a content provider engaging prospects in their moment of need (relevance), giving them a good laugh (entertaining), and subsequently shepherding them to a service that will dramatically enhance their experience (useful).
Super-sub subscribers / Sampling is a tried and tested method of effectively driving sales. Indeed, the principle of reciprocity propagated by the likes of Robert Cialdini explains how brands can leverage this psychological quirk to quickly get people on side. Given that Netflix is currently on manoeuvres to end the practice of password sharing between households, it’s likely that the market for premium streaming services is going to grow substantially in the near future. With this initiative, DirecTV Go has positioned itself as a viable streaming alternate that can also provide prospects with an attractive sports package.
