Key Points
- DIRECTV is targeting Thanksgiving travelers at busy airports with extended free trial offers.
- The offers include five days of free access to any of its genre-based packages.
- A DIRECTV executive characterized the trials as a gift that streamers can keep using once they arrive at the destinations, too.
If you fly out of one of the nation’s busiest airports this week, you might encounter something unexpected at your gate: A free trial offer for streaming service DIRECTV.
As part of its new “Streamsgiving” campaign, DIRECTV is giving passengers at four major airports the opportunity to sign up for an extended free trial of its genre-based packages — and continue streaming shows, movies and sports long after they arrive at their destination (as long as it’s a domestic flight).
The out-of-home campaign includes the use of digital signage that resembles the typical departure and arrival board used by most airlines, letting prospective streamers know they can access channels like HGTV, Discovery Channel, FX, Food Network and Comedy Central through the MyEntertainment package, which typically costs $35 per month.
Traditional digital billboards also allow streamers to activate an extended free trial of other genre-based packages, like MySports, MiEspañol and MyKids, which offer between 10 and 60 channels per plan.
The offering is activated via a QR code found on each digital billboard, which are running through the weekend at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
In a phone call with The Desk on Tuesday, DIRECTV Senior Vice President of Digital and Marketing Kelly Jo Sands said the initiative was designed to capture the attention of passengers in a way that feels familiar and clever at the same time.
“Our intention was to tap into the culture energy of the holiday,” Sands noted. “The campaign features a big, simple, unmistakable creative that was meant to cut through the noise of airports — including with that line-up that looks like a departure screen — which makes people stop and think, and maybe have a quick giggle.”
The spots are also localized — a digital banner outside one Delta terminal at LAX told prospective DIRECTV streamers that live television was the surest way to encounter a celebrity in the capital of the entertainment industry, while a similar spot in Dallas-Fort Worth leaned into the familiar saying that “everything’s bigger in Texas.”
The free trial offer extends for five days — much longer than the customary trial offered by competing services, which might be one to three days, or none at all. Sands said the intention behind the prolonged free trial was to allow streamers to continue watching live TV long after they land — and perhaps become the hero of Thanksgiving by extending the same offer to family and friends.
“We liked the concept that it was oriented around theme-based packages, and that a person could have MySports in one room of the house for the sports lovers and MyEntertainment with reality shows in another,” Sands said.
By using QR codes to activate the offer, DIRECTV is able to track each call to action, which allows it to collect data on who is taking advantage of the free trial and where they are streaming from. The company didn’t have specific data to share with The Desk this week — the campaign is still ongoing — but Sands said it was performing well.
“The verdict is still out in terms of goal performance, but we’re seeing really positive interactions,” Sands said.
One place where the campaign is performing well is outside the terminal: In addition to those digital billboards, DIRECTV purchased inventory within the Uber and Lyft apps, which target travelers when they request a ride to or from the airport. Those ad spots feature an AI-generated weatherman who says the forecast calls for “free TV,” with downloads the DIRECTV app and unlocks a free trial of MyEntertainment when travelers tap the ad.
It isn’t just the live channels that are offered to free trial customers: DIRECTV’s genre-based packages also include access to network-owned streaming apps like Hulu, HBO Max and ESPN Unlimited, which are also unlocked for the same duration as the DIRECTV trial, without cost. (The availability of third-party apps depends on the package that is activated.) If a streamer enjoys DIRECTV, they can continue accessing the network-owned streaming apps as part of their paid subscription; if not, customers can access more than 130 live channels from MyFree DIRECTV, the company’s no-cost, ad-supported streaming plan.
Streamers who are interested in the Streamsgiving free trials don’t have to buy an airplane ticket just to take advantage of DIRECTV’s generous offering: Anyone can activate a 5-day free trial of a genre pack by clicking or tapping here.
In addition to the Streamsgiving campaign, DIRECTV is also promoting its streaming service through “Blue Room” pop-up activiations in major cities.
The Blue Room campaign involves unique elements at three locations — Christkindlmarket in Chicago, Fashion Square in Scottsdale and The Grove in Los Angeles — where prospective customers can learn more about DIRECTV’s offerings and donate toys that benefit its national charity partner, Ronald McDonald House.
The Chicago activation took place earlier this month; the Blue House in Scottsdale starts Saturday, November 29 and runs through Sunday, December 7, while the Blue House in Los Angeles takes place from Saturday, December 13 to Sunday, December 14.
