DirecTV is running a new ad campaign now with their personified “Genie” character. But the way they’re doing it, they’re making her seem like a sex kitten, and I’m not so sure that’s the way to go here. But there’s an easy way to make a genie work well for their product advertising, and appropriately, it has to do with television.
That’s right: Why not use this genie idea in a new campaign called “I Dream of Genie”? Here’s how it would work: Customers of other cable TV companies would be frustrated by the limitations of their company’s service, and so they would “dream of” DirecTV’s Genie. Then, when they switch to DirecTV, it’s so easy, it’s just like a genie fulfilled their wish. And what’s more, once they have DirecTV in their home, they could have it be like the old sitcom, where a bachelor at home asks the Genie for things he’d like (like unlimited football games, HD movies on demand, adult programming, huge DVR capacity, etc.), and everything he asks for, the genie does her little hair bounce thing (like in the show I Dream of Jeannie), and it’s granted!
Then, other people come over to this guy’s house, and they see what all he has in his home entertainment system, and they’re amazed. And so he has to try not to let them find out about the Genie (because he thinks she’s a real magical genie, and he doesn’t want others to know, just like in the old TV sitcom), but they always do, and then they go get DirecTV too. And then they have a similar experience in their home.
See how much cool stuff they could do with this idea of using their “Genie” within the framework of the old sitcom: I Dream of Jeannie? And because that was a television show, it would have added resonance for a TV company.
