A targeted ad campaign by DirecTV is likening this week’s upfronts in New York to “a week-long metaphor” for the pay-TV service.
Through a combination of outdoor placements, promotional teams on the streets and airline seatbacks, the distributor’s advertising unit is plugging the company’s multi-channel packages. (Watch a 30-second ad above.)
The new campaign kicked off Sunday on flights to New York. Along with out-of-home presence on flights and screens around the city, it spans experiential activations, digital video, and ads across trade publications and social media. Trucks equipped with LED screens and digital billboards will also carry the message, and vehicles will offer advertisers free rides around Manhattan.
The initiative will wrap with seat-back content on flights leaving New York after the three packed days of upfront presentations. This year’s Monday-to-Wednesday upfronts corridor looks a lot like the 2025 edition, with tech giants Amazon, YouTube and Netflix joining media giants in pitching ad buyers.
“For one week, every major programmer and streamer comes together in one place,” DirecTV Advertising Chief Advertising Officer Amy Leifer said in a statement. “The Upfronts have always been about showcasing the best of TV, and when we stepped back and looked at the week as a whole, we realized that’s exactly what we do at DirecTV every day..”
Creative agency TBWAChiatDay LA and media agency Starcom US worked with DirecTV on the campaign.
“When we looked at Upfronts week, it started to feel like a perfect, if slightly unintentional, demonstration of what DirecTV does,” said TBWAChiatDay LA Group Creative Director Mark Peters. “So, we just had fun with pointing that out.”
