Cox Reps Shift Into High Gear for Tour de France

Cable World, April 22, 2002

Byline: jon lafayette

Ad sales reps for Cox Communications in Southern California are competing to sell local spots on Outdoor Life Network's live coverage of the Tour de France - a prelude to Lance Armstrong's quest for his fourth straight championship.

The network's promotion - called Capture the Challenge - is designed to help local operators generate incremental local ad revenue and sell high-speed-data service. The elements of the promotion include a contest to win a digital camera and viewer guides that can be sponsored by local businesses.

Outdoor Life SVP-affiliate sales Becky Ruthven says the network has signed up local systems for the promotion, representing about 30% of its subscriber base - now about 40 million households.

One of them is Cox in Orange County. Amy Olmsted, general sales manager at Cox Orange County, says she wasn't going to participate in the promotion. But "one of our AEs [account executives] has...bike shops on the air with her, and she caught wind of the promotion a few weeks ago, presented it to one of her bike shops and they were all over it. Actually, both of her bike shops were arguing over it," she says. Cyclewerks in Laguna Beach got the sponsorship. "Now the rest of my AEs want to sell it and want to pitch it to a bunch of different clients."

Olmsted estimates that her system will generate an extra $20,000 in ad revenue during the quarter, thanks to the promotion. "It's a nice chunk of change considering the network," she says.

The digital camera Outdoor Life is providing to operators is also nice, according to Olmsted.

"When it comes to promotions, that's what gets us - a cool local prize," she says. You need a substantial prize because "it's tough to get people out of their living rooms and into a store to sign up to win something. They all think you're trying to sell them a time share."

Ruthven says the list of advertisers that can find customers by advertising during Tour de France coverage only starts with bike shops. Health care is a hot area, Ruthven says, "especially with Lance, who has had cancer." Similarly, health and fitness clubs, and purveyors of energy bars, drinks and bottled water are prospects, as are motorcycle and automotive dealers.

Working with Sharon Portin Parker of Portin Parker Consulting and using research from MRI, Outdoor Life has created a sales presentation that local ad sales people can customize for clients.

Outdoor Life is not one of the networks most operators insert local ads on. According to figures from Kagan World Media, owned by Primedia, Cable World's parent, Outdoor Life had just 3.6 million insertable subscribers as of the end of last year. Ruthven says the network hopes the promotion will increase that number.

Outdoor Life's promotional support of its Tour de France coverage will be comprehensive. "We're doing consumer marketing, on-air promotion, advertising promotion, indigenous magazines as well as local radio and local radio," Ruthven says. "So there will be a lot of noise in the marketplace."

In return, the network wants operators to contribute ads designed to get viewers to watch the 23-day race. "We want them to run tune-in spots - the tune-in is something we're asking for," she says.

As with many local promotions, there is a community affairs component. With Armstrong as the focus, systems will be able to tie in by honoring local heroes, like the municipal police department. "It's a feel-good thing for the cable operator, and they could tie in a local advertiser or a sponsor as well," Ruthven says.

The network is putting together a brochure that can be customized for each operator and sponsored. "It's a viewer's guide, and it's got safety and maintenance tips, as well as Web resources about biking," Ruthven says.

One system has arranged a program on helmet safety, in conjunction with EMS Group, with an insurance company as sponsor.

Outdoor Life is picking up the tab for the whole program. "That's an important part of being a good partner," Ruthven says. "It's a good way to cement your relationship."