The cable industry’s “Only Cable Can” campaign has been officially mothballed. Officials at the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, which had created the campaign, have replaced an Only Cable Can Web site with a new consumer Web site called “This Is Cable” (www.thisiscable.com).
CTAM senior vice president Seth Morrison said This Is Cable debuted sometime within the past four to six months.
The site contains several articles touting the virtues of cable, including digital cable, digital-video recorders, video-on-demand, HDTV and digital-phone service. It also allows consumers to search for their local cable operators.
Lifetime Television is including a link to the This Is Cable Web site as part of its campaign to restore distribution on EchoStar Communications Corp.’s Dish Network direct-broadcast satellite service.
Web surfers who attempt to visit the Only Cable Can Web site are now automatically redirected to the This Is Cable site.
CTAM launched a national ad campaign with an Only Cable Can theme in late 2003. The marketing push touted cable as the best way to get products such as VOD and high-speed-Internet access.
Last summer, CTAM pulled the plug on developing new Only Cable Can commercials. At the time, officials said the National Cable & Telecommunications Association would lead a new national marketing effort for the cable industry.
The NCTA has yet to launch a new campaign for the industry. Spokesman Brian Dietz declined to comment Friday on when the new ads may begin running.
