2. Executive Summary
− Dish Network and other cable/satellite providers are threatened by the
increasing membership rates of online TV providers, such as Netflix.
− While online providers are cheaper, they do not provide as much value as
Dish Network can. Dish has all of the features of an online provider and
more.
− The new positioning for Dish revolves around encouraging the viewer to
relax and take full advantage of the downtime they have, whenever and
wherever they may be.
− Dish Network is the provider you get if you want to have a stress-free and
seamless TV experience.
− Creating strategic messaging on various touchpoints through the customer’s
journey on all digital channels is crucial. These touchpoints include email,
social media, affiliate marketing, and online PR.
3. SituationAnalysis
Current Customer Base:
− Less wealthy, skews ethnic
(especially Latino)
Target for Acquisition:
− Current online provider
customers
− People in the market for a
new TV provider (online or
cable/satellite) – especially
Millennials
4. Market Situation
− TV service industry has been shifting towards a more online basis.
− The number of people watching live TV is decreasing, consumers want to
watch TV on their own schedule.
− TV is still the main medium (89% of total hours) of watching TV, however
tablet and smartphone use has been steadily rising.
− Consumers (87%) multitask with media on multiple screens more than ever
before.
Luxury news daily, 2013
Marketing Charts, 2013
5. Competitive Comparison
Dish DirecTV Netflix Hulu Amazon
Pros • Live 24/7 customer
assistance
• Hopper – lets you
automatically skip
commercials
• Can record up to 6
shows at once in
primetime
• Can transfer recorded
shows to iPad which
can then be viewed
offline
• Cheaper options than
DirecTV
• Can watch across
devices
(DishAnywhere AND
Live TV)
• Better rated
customer service
• Great for a sports
fan!
• More packages
• More HD channels
• Can watch across
devices
• Only $7.99/mo
• No commercials
• Huge library of
shows and
movies
• Very popular
• Original TV
series
• Works
seamlessly
across devices
• Upcoming
Facebook
integration
• Only $7.99/mo
• Big library of TV
shows
• Less movies, more
TV shows
• New episodes
come out the
following day/week
after airing
• Cheaper per
month than
Netflix & Hulu
but have to buy a
yearly
subscription
• Includes Amazon
Prime (free 2 day
shipping)
• One free book
from lending
library per month
• Big library of
shows and
movies
Cons • Satellite: TV service is
affected by weather
• Less packages than
DirecTV
• Some HD channels
are missing
• Satellite: TV service
is affected by
weather
• No commercial
hopping technology
• Recent seasons
of shows are not
available until
much much later
• Not every show is
available for
watching
• Not every show is
available, not every
episode nor season
• Has commercials
• Each TV show
works differently
across devices –
some work, some
don’t
• Smaller library
than others
• Have to buy a
yearly
subscription, not
monthly
Satellite Online Providers
6. Social Competitive Comparison
Dish DirecTV Netflix Hulu
Facebook 4.1 mln likes
89K t.a.t.
3.1 mln likes
97K t.a.t.
4 mln likes
23K t.a.t.
899K likes
15K t.a.t.
Twitter 37K followers 102K followers 387K followers 90K followers
Instagram 287 followers 4183 followers 3785 followers 2347 followers
YouTube 4.2K subs 12.9K subs 25.8K subs 410.5K subs
Google+ 2.9K follows 15.4K follows 83.6K follows 6.7K follows
Dish is dominating only in one social sphere – Facebook. However, even though Dish has the highest
number of Facebook likes, the engagement on this social medium is not as high as it could be.
Additionally, other social media presence is dominated by competitors.
7. Interest Over Time (last 12 months - Google)
Dish Network
Netflix
DirecTV
Hulu
The search-based interest in all four providers has been generally steady over
the last 12 months. This could mean that there should be a generally equal
amount of promotions going on regardless of the time of year.
8. Dish - SWOT
Strengths
• Large Facebook fan base
• Hopper technology (skips
commercials)
• Available on all devices
• Available to watch offline
• Cheaper than DirecTV
Weaknesses
• More expensive than online providers
• Weaker Internet-bundle than cable
• Live TV affected by weather
Opportunities
• Strengthen the online presence
on social media
• Present DishAnywhere online
service as better than other
online providers
• Emphasize the seamless
experience and using Dish as
the only service you could ever
need
Threats
• Online provider user base growing
• Online providers creating an option to
watch shows offline
• Online providers providing an option to
watch live stream TV (games, award
shows, etc)
9. Communication Objectives
− Develop a brand positioning which establishes DISH as a
provider of unique value
− Drive engagement through digital channels
− Increase brand consideration within the cable/satellite buying
process
10. Threat of Online Providers
Based on the competitor comparisons, it is clear that online providers are
starting to become a very attractive option for consumers.
There is an increasing number of people signing up for online providers
instead of cable or satellite
− 1.08 million TV subscribers have cut the cord last year.
The most attractive attribute to using online providers are:
− Lower cost of membership than cable/satellite
− Convenience
Clearly, price of service is not something we are able to change for Dish,
therefore it is crucial to find the other points that would make Dish an attractive
option.
12. Why to choose satellite over online…
Buckyville forum, March 2013:
“The other issue I have is the general "jacking around" when you watch a game on
your laptop. With DirecTV, you can walk into your living room for a 7:00 Badger game at
6:59 and go. If you set your DVR, you can even walk-in at 7:20. With a computer, you
have to log-on 5-10 minutes early to be sure you can find the game, find the right cord,
reach behind the TV and plug it in, get the TV on the right source, plug your computer in
to the wall so you don't run out of juice, make sure it's streaming right, etc.
Honestly, it sorta floors me that watching TV on your computer at home is so popular.
The choices and the price are right; but the overall experience and convenience are crap.
My take on what to say to your wife...
"Treat the TV bill is like the heat bill. It's a utility that we need. That's it.”
- Eric The Red
13. What annoys people about online providers?
There is not one online provider that has everything you’d want
− Does not have every show/movie you would want to watch
− May not be up-to-date with new episodes or seasons of a show
− Does not have Live Streamed shows, like sports games, news, award shows
Watching online can get complicated
− Can’t have just one provider to watch everything you’d want to watch
− Setting up computer to TV is annoying and takes time
− Wasting time on finding the episode/show/movie you want to watch (“Which
provider can I watch XYZ on?”) and commercials (Hulu)
− Mindless-background watching is harder because online providers require you to
make a decision rather than just let it play in the background and do your
multitasking activities while it plays
Insights based on social listening tools: Crimson Hexagon 2013
Dish website 2013
14. Customers love…
− Convenience
− Being in control
− No commercials
− Getting everything they might want all in one place
− Being up-to-date with what’s popular but doing it on their own
schedule
− Enjoying the free time they do have to the fullest
Insights based on social listening tools: Crimson Hexagon
Dish website
15. How is Dish better than online providers?
Dish Network Online Providers
Convenient ✔ ✔
Up-to-date (Live TV) ✔
✗
Can watch online ✔ ✔
Can watch on all devices ✔ ✔
No hassle to watch
anything you’d want
✔
✗
Perfect for mindless
watching & multitasking
✔
✗
No commercials ✔
✔ / ✗
Can watch anywhere and
anytime, even offline
✔
✗
16. Dish Network gives you anything
you could possibly want in ONE service.
Emotional Benefits
• I feel relaxed
• I feel in control
• I can make the most out of my
downtime
• I feel smart for saving money
and being stress-free by
having just one seamless TV
service
Functional Benefits
• Convenience
• A more seamless TV watching
experience (no commercials
by Hopper, no searching
through multiple services to
find what I want to watch)
• Staying up-to-date with what’s
going on (news, award shows,
new episodes of top shows)
17. Stress-Free & Seamless
TV Experience
No need to worry about
having multiple online
provider subscriptions
No need to worry about
having your downtime
interrupted (no
commercials, offline
watching, multiple devices)
No need to stress about
how you’re going to
watch the game or live
stream show since you
don’t have cable/satellite
18. Brand Positioning Statement
To… Online provider customers and
Consumers in the market for a new TV provider
Dish Network is… A satellite TV provider with an online-viewing service
That… Gives you the most seamless TV experience so that you
can stay stress-free during your downtime, whenever
and wherever it may be.
That’s because… • Dish Network’s Hopper technology automatically
skips commercials so your downtime stays
uninterrupted.
• With Dish Network, you can watch TV anywhere and
anytime, even if you’re offline* or away from home.
• Dish Network provides all the shows and movies you
could possibly want in one integrated service – no
need for alternate sources and subscriptions.
* with an iPad
21. Raise awareness
Dish Network is already a very popular TV service, however it may be
beneficial to do something extra to appear in front of the consumers BEFORE
they even realize that they want to switch.
− Search engine (organic and paid)
− Social Media
− Blogs and online PR
− Affiliate marketing
24. Search
Dish Network did not show up on the first page of search results for any
of the non-competitive search terms.
Use paid search to insert Dish Network in the non-competitive search terms,
especially advertising DIshAnywhere.com as an alternative to watching
videos online through another provider
− ie. Featuring specific episodes/movies (like Discovery did forAmish Mafia).
25. Social Media
Facebook:
There is no need to focus on gaining more Facebook likes.
The focus should be on increasing engagement with fans’friends.
ie. Sponsored stories on Facebook to get fans’ friends to see our posts.
− These posts can be clever and visual-based posts that emphasize The Most
Seamless & Stress-Free Experience you can get with Dish, online and offline.
− The purpose is to catch the users’ attention and increase curiosity about Dish.
Twitter:
Dish should focus on gaining a larger Twitter presence. Twitter is the
second-largest social network for our target and it is crucial that we are able to
connect with potential subscribers through there.
ie. Sponsored account feature to gain Twitter followers
ie. Engagement with users using various hashtags that relate to TV shows or movies
they could potentially watch with a Dish subscription (parallel to brand positioning)
26. Blogs
Partnering with popular bloggers for sponsored content can be a great way to
expose their audience to Dish and our new positioning.
− Lifestyle bloggers – how Dish fits into their lifestyle conveniently and seamlessly
and they are able to watch TV whenever they want.
− Fashion bloggers – talk about a live stream event that they watched through Dish
Network on their TV or device (Victoria’s Secret fashion show, Oscars, etc)
− Fitness and health bloggers - talk about a live stream show they watched on TV
or device from a channel they couldn’t otherwise get via an online provider (Food
Network or fitness-specific channels).
− Mommy bloggers - how easy it is to calm their children down by allowing them to
watch their favorite shows/channels from Dish on their device at any time they
want, whether they are home, in a car, or anywhere else, even if they are not
connected to the Internet.
− Travel bloggers - talk about being on a flight or somewhere without service
(camping?) but they are still able to watch their recorded movies/shows on their
iPad.
27. Online publications
Partnering with online publications and freelance writers to talk about a stress-
free downtime while promoting Dish’s new brand positioning and how our
features make Dish the best choice for a TV provider.
- Huffington Post
- SheSaid
- BlogHer
Partner with writers to create fun content related to TV, movies, or anything that
would relate to a seamless experience during a downtime and sponsor this
content on the publication. The content looks less like advertising and
automatically gets a higher viral factor.
- BuzzFeed
28. Affiliate Marketing
− Encourage current Dish customers to get
referrals to sign up for subscription with a
monetary incentive.
− Dish already has a referral program. It
would be good to market this initiative on a
larger scale to current customers.
− Encouraging social media influencers,
bloggers, and others to become affiliates
is a great way to get that WOM and
awareness factor to people we wouldn’t
be able to reach otherwise.
− This initiative is also linked to Retaining
Tactics
29. Interest
Hmmm..
Maybe I DO need to
change my TV provider.
But which one should I pick?
There are so many choices!
30. Interest
We need to make sure that we provide the most information to make the
decision-making process easier on the consumer butALSO to feature an
emotional benefit since none of our competitors are doing so.
− Internet web pages
− Review site partnerships
− Forum moderations
− Social media engagement
31. Dish website
Three main webpage slides:
1. Superior Experience – get an iPad 2 when you sign up
2. Expect More – get upgrades to subscription
3. Watch Anywhere – commercial skipping and all devices availability
32. Website
Dish website is built well and it has all of the functional benefits and features front
and center, they are therefore easy for the potential customer to rationalize.
Things to improve on:
− Create a slide that features an emotional benefit (parallel to brand positioning)
− Make DishAnywhere.com featured more prominently on the main Dish website.
This is a big factor that online provider members will take into consideration and
it should be featured along with the other benefits on the website to make the
convenience factor clearer.
33. Review Site Partnerships
There are review websites/blogs that are dedicated solely to reviewing and
comparing services of various industries. Partnering with some of these
websites may be a great way to make our brand positioning more visible and
more attractive when compared to the competition.
− www.digitallanding.com
− www.bestsatelliteprovider.com
34. Forum Moderations
There is a discussion forum for every topic out there, including TV. Find current
conversations happening around choosing a provider in the US and interact
with potential customers by providing them the advice and information they are
looking for to sing up for Dish.
− forums.cnet.com
36. Acquisition
OH! I know! It’s clear to me now!
I want to make the most out of
my downtime. I want to get Dish
Network!
37. Acquisition
Once a consumer has learned all of the information they need and see Dish
Network as a good choice for them, we now have to make sure that the sign up
process is as easy and attractive as possible.
− Incentives to sign up
− BannerAds
− Social Media Marketing
− Online Sign Up
− Mobile Sign Up
38. Incentives
Dish currently has a great deal where they give new customers a free iPad 2
with Hopper when they sign up.
− This deal should be broadcasted throughout social media and other
channels since it is a major incentive to purchase
Once this deal is over, additional deals should be created that will incentivize
purchase and advertise them throughout social media and on main website.
39. BannerAds
While banner ads generally do not have a high CTR, we can increase the CTR
if we feature additional deals that can only be offered through the banner.
The banners should be visible on target-relevant websites
− Huffington Post, Fandango, etc (movie/culture related)
− News Websites (if they are online TV provider users, they have no other way
of accessing the news but online)
40. Social Media Marketing
Facebook:
Broadcast the incentives on Facebook by sponsoring posts and creating ads.
This will influence purchase but also drive a bigger social media fan base.
Twitter:
Broadcast the incentive and urge users to sign up. Chip in to conversations
happening on Twitter about people wishing they had an iPad or wishing they
could skip commercials, etc (parallel to brand positioning)
41. Online Sign Up
At the top of main Dish website, there is an “Order Now” CTAthat tells the user
to call a phone number. This makes the customer mistakenly think that the only
way to order the Dish service is via a phone call.
− Add an “Order Now” link on the top that directs to the check out page
− 74% of consumers find online shopping easy; making an online purchase
option clearly visible is parallel to our brand positioning and consumer
preference.
Accenture, 2013
42. Online Sign Up – Packages Page
If a customer clicks on the “Packages” tab on the main Dish website, s/he gets
taken to the page with all of the current Dish packages that are available for
purchase right online.
Make it more
obvious that
you can
purchase online
Feature
incentive
De-clutter
43. Mobile Sign Up
Since our current customer is
extremely active on Mobile and
enjoys making purchases via Mobile
(Latinos 24% vs 10% US), therefore
it is important to create a Mobile
checkout page that allows for in-
browser purchase.
Business News Daily, 2012
44. MyDish website bug
− When a person clicks on the “MyDish” tab on the top of the website, s/he
gets directed to a MyDish.com website that is geared toward current
customers. While this is great for current customers, it does not help much for
people who are not yet signed up.
− It is nearly impossible to get out of this page – even if the user types in
Dish.com in the browser, it takes him directly to MyDish instead of the main
Dish web page; this can prove to be frustrating for a person who wants to
sign up for a NEW membership.
− This needs to be fixed.
46. Retention
It is crucial to make the new customer feel like they are getting good value for
what they are paying for so that they can become helping selling point to his
friends through WOM.
Creating special deals and offers to current customers to be redeemed online is
a great way to say “thank you” but also to encourage those customers to
spread the word about Dish Network.
− Affiliate marketing & WOM
− Email marketing + special offers
− Social Media marketing
− Socail Media Integration
47. Affiliate Marketing
Same as theAffiliate Marketing awareness tactic described earlier.
Encourage current customers to send referral sign ups. The customer gets a
monetary reward for any friend they get to sign up.
Reminding customers about the referral promotion can be done via social
media and direct mail/email.
This creates WOM.
48. Emails
Emails can be a great tool to reach current customers directly, whether through
a subscription or through an email/online statement.
− Include special deals and offers that are available for subscribers only
− Continue creating and begin promoting the special perks to being on the list
− Free premium channel subscriptions for limited time
− Sweepstakes
− Contests
49. Social Media
YouTube:
The reason why Hulu has so
many subscribers is because
they upload episodes of shows
and clips onto their channel but
this diverts attention from their
actual website.
− Agood use of YouTube can
include Perks videos, but
making sure these videos are
actually PROMOTED.
− Make non-subscribers jealous
of the perks the subscribers get
by promoting on other social
channels
50. Social Media
Facebook:
− Create an engaging content strategy for posts that will be interesting to the
fans, for example things about current shows and movies – teasers for
upcoming episodes to make non-customers wish they had Dish Network.
− Host sweepstakes and contests for current customers as apps that live on
Facebook
Twitter:
Similar content strategy as Facebook mentioned above.
51. Social Media Integration
Netflix included a Facebook integration called Netflix Social where Facebook-
connected users can see what their friends are watching right on their FB
newsfeed. This gets the word out about Netflix, creates curiosity about Netflix,
and creates conversation around the provider as well as the show/movie.
− Dish Network should create a Facebook (and Twitter) integration similar to
what Netflix has done.Activity should be posted on user’s feed to be seen by
friends.
− This can be taken a step further by allowing in-website comments. Users
would be able to write comments about each episode/movie they watch on
DishAnywhere.com (integrated Facebook-powered comment box on the
website) and this activity will be shown on the users’ Facebook feed as well.
This stimulates conversation with other viewers and takes place right on the
Dish website.
52. I have everything I
could possibly need
all in one place.
Thanks Dish!
Stress-Free Dish Customers
