Challenge
Cox Communications is one of the nation’s largest privately held companies, with a portfolio that includes newspapers, radio and TV stations, an auto auction company and cable television systems in major markets that include Phoenix and San Diego. Like all cable companies, Cox is facing competition from DirecTV and Dish Network. Satellite TV systems frequently make claims about their advantages over cable that cable must address in the interest of accuracy and thoroughness. One of Cox’s strategies was to develop a Web site that allows the company to proactively manage their external messaging.
Benefits
What’s Up Interactive developed a site for Cox called Digital Straight Talk that allows Cox to respond instantly to industry articles, advertising claims by satellite providers and to promote developments that prove the advantages of the Cox Cable service. The Web site is an important element of the company’s marketing efforts because it allows fast response and is highly cost-effective compared to trade advertising. Podcasts on the Web site also give Cox a way to repurpose audio assets created during trade shows and interviews.
Project Details
Digital Straight Talk was engineered with a secure content management system that allows authorized Cox employees to manage the site. Audio podcasts profile senior executives, giving the company complete control over their external messaging. Blog software on Digital Straight Talk allows Cox personnel to update home page content, while giving visitors a chance to respond with comments of their own. We also integrated RSS and a Flash-based slide show of “dish-gusting” photos that knock the competition. Our work for Digital Straight Talk led to a second project for Cox Communications: an online calculator that allows media buyers to calculate the efficiency of moving a portion of local print buys to local cable TV.
Return on Investment for Cox Communications
Apart from a cost-effective new platform for distributing information about the advantages of local cable and company news, Cox has also generated buzz in the industry. Within the first month after launch, respected industry publication Multichannel News presented a positive profile of the advocacy Web site.
