• by Aaron Baar , November 14, 2012

TiVo, the company that scared the bejesus out of the advertising industry by introducing the digital video recorder in the U.S., is launching its own -- yep -- television advertising campaign to deepen consumer perception about its services beyond simple video recording. 

“For a long time, TiVo has been thought of as a DVR, and we’re so much more than that,” Tara Maitra, SVP and GM of content and media sales for TiVo, tells Marketing Daily. “And in this world where there’s an insatiable demand for a better TV experience, that consumer call for a better experience is something TiVo has been delivering.” 

For its inaugural television advertising campaign, the Alviso, Calif. company has enlisted professional quarterback Tim Tebow as a spokesman. (The advertising will be part of an integrated effort that will include print, radio and television advertising as well as social media.) The advertising is scheduled to break on Nov. 27, and will showcase the many features that set TiVo apart from its competitors, in particular its “Collections” feature that enables consumers to set programming based on genre, star or other material, Maitra says. 

Enlisting Tebow was a natural fit (and not just because his name and the product sound so similar), Maitra says. “It’s much more than the name,” she says. “When we thought about Tim Tebow as an interesting and unconventional guy, we started giving more and more thought about what TiVo stands for and how he would be a great spokesperson."

As part of the campaign, TiVo will feature a “Tim Tebow Zone,” a collection of Tebow’s favorite shows, movies and recommended content for kids from television and the Internet, on its boxes. TiVo will also use social media to support the Tim Tebow Foundation, donating a dollar for every “Like” the brand gets on its Facebook page (up to $25,000). 

Maitra acknowledges a touch of irony in the brand turning to television advertising to promote its features, although she adds that the company’s mission has always been to work with advertisers to provide additional content, not circumvent advertising.

“We are strong believers in the power of television advertising in getting your message across,” she says. “The campaign is designed to tell the broader story about how special and different TiVo is, and bring along a new generation of users.”