Company: Charter Communications
Timeframe: Dec 2007-June 2009
When television became commercially available in the late 1930s, it completely revolutionized the way information was transmitted and consumed. From news to entertainment, its programming captured the attention of audiences around the country—and the world.
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| Charter Communications positioned itself as the go-to resource for surviving the digital transition without being left in the dark. |
Relative to the monumental advancements since television’s consumer debut, though, the technology behind many of its broadcasting formats remained practically unchanged since analog became standardized between the 1940s and 1950s. Finally, after many decades, came the push for a global transition from analog to digital broadcasting, which enables a more efficient and higher quality distribution of content.
While this transition didn’t impact those consumers who had already adopted digital technology—digital cable and satellite subscribers, for example—it had major implications for television stations, content providers, networks, cable operators and the many viewers who still watched TV via analog transmission.
The U.S. analog-to-digital handoff came on June 12, 2009, but it was years in the making. News of the transition needed to be communicated to broadcasters and viewers alike, many of whom would have to get a converter in order for their systems to work after the switch. The original deadline—Feb. 17, 2009—came and went after a combination of poor planning and politics prompted Congress to delay the switch-over by three months.
SNOW DAY
For Charter Communi-cations, the fourth-largest cable provider in the United States, the process of preparing for the digital transition began in December 2007 with the launch of a robust integrated marketing campaign. The goal was simple: Position Charter as the best and most affordable solution for the digital transition. The path to getting there, however, was not so simple.
“Charter’s biggest challenge going into the campaign was educating both customers and prospective customers about broadcast television’s transition from analog to digital, and encouraging them to take action in order to be prepared,” says Claire Anderson, marketing manager of Charter Communications. “We started early by organizing and implementing a yearlong marketing campaign using a phased messaging approach that positioned Charter as the easiest, best and most affordable solution to not having viewer’s television go to snow on transition day.”
This phased approach was broken into four stages:
1. Advocacy (December 2007-July 2008)
2. Acquisition/Are You Ready? (August-November 2008)
3. Last Chance (December 2008-February 17, 2009)
4. Post-Transition (February 18-March 2009)
Once the phases were determined, it was a matter of setting the plan into motion via various tactics, which were developed at the corporate level and then executed at a local level to reach all of Charter’s markets.
“We employed multiple tactics throughout this campaign, including an interactive Web site, TV spots, direct mail, print, fliers, door hangers, e-mails and Web banners,” Anderson says.
PHASE 1: ADVOCACY
The advocacy phase of the campaign centered on educating customers and prospects about what the digital transition was and how it could impact them. The “what’s in it for me?” component of the messaging was key to getting audiences’ attention, as was the approach of positioning Charter as a trusted neighbor.
Specifically, Anderson says, there would be no up-sell; rather, secondary messaging that Charter would be there every step of the way to answer questions and provide resources was a crucial element in making the company a customer advocate.
PHASE 2: ACQUISITION/ARE YOU READY?
While the education and advocacy elements of the campaign were carried over from phase one, phase two focused more on acquisition, with messages that included:
• “Not a Charter customer? Call us now to get signed up and ensure a smooth Digital Transition.”
• “Already a Charter customer but not all of your TVs are connected to Charter service? Call us now to have a technician come to your home to connect all of your TVs to Charter.”
Then, as the original transition—Feb. 17—date grew nearer, the team tweaked the messaging to be more urgent, with the hopes of prompting reluctant customers to finally take action. For example:
• “Are all your TVs connected to Charter?”
• “Are you ready for the Digital Transition?”
PHASE 3: LAST CHANCE
At this point, with the original transition deadline right around the corner, the team folded even more urgent messaging into outreach communications, such as, “This is your last chance to be sure you are ready. Don’t be left in the dark.”
Having planned the campaign well in advance of the transition, it was essential that the marketing/communications team stayed on the same page as they moved through the various phases.
“We worked with an outside agency and also partnered with internal departments that included marketing, product management, legal and engineering,” Anderson says. “Our marketing plan was finalized well in advance of kickoff for the yearlong campaign, and monthly meetings were held with key stakeholders to keep the lines of communication open.”
PHASE 4: POST-TRANSITION
When the campaign was first planned, phase four was timed to begin the day after the transition deadline. However, when that date was pushed back by three months, the Charter team took everything in stride and continued to position the company as the “best and most affordable solution” for those who still hadn’t switched over.
Thanks to the executives’ quick thinking and consistent messaging, the initiative was an all-around success, with awareness of the digital transition and familiarity with the transition concept increasing dramatically over the course of the campaign, according to industry reports.
Of course, that’s not to say that the team wasn’t able to acknowledge a few lessons learned.
“Although we had a marketing plan built and in place more than year in advance of the June 12, 2009 digital transition date, there were broadcast stations in some markets that made the transition to digital earlier,” Anderson says. “Looking back, it would have been ideal to have had marketing tactics prepared even farther in advance so we could have easily accommodated markets that transitioned early.”
Ultimately, though, one best practice that the team relied on throughout the campaign proved to be a valuable component of any marketing initiative: “Know your audience,” Anderson says. “Then, you can fine-tune your message to communicate effectively.” PRN
CONTACTS:
Claire Anderson, [email protected]; Joe Stackhouse, [email protected]