Creative Direction/Conceptual Development/Content Creation

CLIENT

Cox Communications is the third largest cable entertainment and broadband services provider in 
the country. Regionally, their most competitive vertical market is Northern Virginia. And with 
Verizon and others far outspending, I sought to outsmart.

CHALLENGE

Leverage the goodwill and local-hero storyline of the previous marketing effort. Continue to 
combat competing claims from Verizon, while taking ownership of local market service.

SOLUTION

After market evaluation, and campaign testing, the most relevant 
and results-promising strategy surfaced: meet, engage and 
connect with everyday Virginians, in a manner unavailable 
to Verizon. The message strategy resulted in the creative 
execution. “The Word Is Out.” Our ambassador, “Pete,” 
visited dozens of locations in Cox Virginia areas with a 
camera crew, and ambush-interviewed mall shoppers, 
bystanders and people at work, at play and on lunch breaks about 
how they use Cox products in their homes. Local residents cheerfully spoke their minds, and all 
shared clearly unscripted, positive stories about their dealings with Cox. The result was a warm, 
believable and entertaining campaign that positioned Cox as being positive, confident, local and 
reliable. The result: the increase of new Cox connections.