• by Aaron Baar , August 30, 2016

With no-choice bundles and introductory pricing promotions that turn into high monthly fees, pay-TV services can sometimes feel like bullies to consumers -- at least according to Sling. 

In a new marketing campaign that breaks this week, the OTT-streaming service positions actor Danny Trejo, known for menacing villain roles in many TV shows and films, as kinder than the Pay-TV services. 

In television spots, Trejo sits against a black background and directly addresses the camera. “People say I’m evil,” he growls in one spot. “I say evil is how cable companies trick you with a low rate, and then Bam!, your bill is over a hundred bucks a month.” The spot concludes with the message “Take Back TV.”

“Danny Trejo is someone who can deliver this message in an arresting style,” Glenn Eisen, SlingTV’s chief marketing officer, tells Marketing Daily. 

The strategy, which continues themes from the company’s previous efforts, came from listening to consumers about their “pain points” with the pay TV experience. “It’s about mirroring the sentiments of consumers,” Eisen says. “All that Danny does is  communicate the pain points that we know consumers have.”

With more and more consumers considering over-the-top programming models, the time is right to attract new consumers to SlingTV, Eisen says. “With the advent of Netflix and Spotify and other services, consumers have become accustomed to a new model,” he says. 

The campaign includes both English and Spanish executions as it targets cord-cutters, cord-nevers and the Hispanic community (and coincides with folding its Sling Latino brand into the SlingTV brand). Other elements include a redesign of the company’s Web sites, digital and mobile executions and social media. Sling TV subscribers will also see a curated selection of Danny Trejo’s movies available to rent via the on-screen TV guides. 

“We have been experiencing record growth,” Eisen says. “This is going to accelerate things because we’re reaching out to a much broader base.”