Multi-platform campaign adds to overall switch campaign for fans

SAN FRANCISCO – Pac-12 Networks today launched a new advertising campaign titled “Compare” that contrasts the exciting Pac-12 football action a fan will see on Pac-12 Networks with what they won’t see on DirecTV. The campaign will be featured on digital, print, outdoor and radio outlets, and across all Pac-12 member university platforms.

Entering its second season of covering Pac-12 football, Pac-12 Networks is distributed on more than 50 video providers across the country, including three of the four largest. Despite being offered the same deal that all of the other providers have agreed to, DirecTV remains unwilling to reach an agreement, and the “Compare” campaign is the latest step by Pac-12 Networks to urge fans to drop DirecTV and switch to another provider.

“We realize this is affecting many of our fans, and we share their frustration,” said Pac-12 Networks President Lydia Murphy-Stephans. "We built the Pac-12 Networks to give fans unprecedented access to their favorite teams and sports on TV, and with just two weeks before the fall sports schedule begins, DirecTV continues to deny them that access.”

The campaign includes a series of university-specific 30-second TV and digital spots as well as print and outdoor executions to rally Pac-12 fans and be upfront with DirecTV subscribers. Unless they switch, DirecTV subscribers will miss 750 live Pac-12 sporting events, up from 550 a year ago, including 35 football games and nearly half of all league games. The creation of new shows like The Drive, a 14-part docu-series offering an exclusive look inside the 2013 football season, Pac-12 Sports Report, the flagship studio show providing fans a complete weekly dose of all Pac-12 sports, and Pac-12 Football Weekly, guarantee fans the most in-depth highlights, analysis and behind-the-scenes original programming of all Pac-12 teams on television.

Pac-12 universities will be implementing the campaign across their platforms as part of a comprehensive grassroots effort. The campaign’s switch page already houses video testimonials from Pac-12 athletic directors and will feature more testimonials from coaches in the coming weeks.

All versions of TV spots can be found here.

The Pac-12 Networks marketing team and San Francisco-based ad agency BarrettSF led the creative development of the campaign. The end result was a classic compare campaign that shows consumers what they have versus what they could have.

"DirecTV is not willing to give Pac-12 fans their networks," said Murphy-Stephans. “We wanted to find a clear and simple way to show those fans what they are missing without the Pac-12 Networks and rally them to get it.”