In a world filled with more cable ads than I’d like to count, two spots, in particular, have ramped up the feistiness in uber-competitive market.
The first one is from DirecTV, and it pokes fun at competitors, showing the ineptitude of rival cable competitors, but it comes off as a commentary on the companies recent merger with AT&T, when I’m not sure that’s what it meant to accomplish. The ad is a reboot of an older series by the company and features a star-studded cast including Jeffrey Tambor, Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard and John Michael Higgins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arfD0MDuCzE
The second cable oriented ad from XFINITY is much less subtle about who it’s attacking as it goes right after it’s competitors.
The XFINITY spot works, despite bordering on being an attack ad, as it’s witty, direct and not afraid to call out competitors.
The two companies seem to be taking two different approaches with the ads, as DirecTV is essentially real-life sub tweeting other cable companies while XFINITY calls out its competitors by name immediately. These entertaining ads are hopefully the start of a fierce battle between two.