Roku plans 'Now This Is TV' ad campaign for holidays

Streaming video set-top box provider Roku announced it will launch a new advertising campaign to tap into the holiday shopping spree. The effort, centered on the company's new "Now This Is TV" campaign, is another attempt by Roku to cut into Americans' spending on cable and satellite TV with a streaming alternative.

Roku said the campaign, created by Butler Shine Stern and Partners, will run through "out-of-home, cinema and digital executions across popular consumer entertainment and streaming websites." The company didn't disclose how much it will spend on the effort, but Roku said it will focus the campaign on the character of Moxkat Grvida, "a 50-something Ukrainian man" who will work to convince shoppers to buy themselves a Roku box during the holidays as a "self gift."

Source: Roku

Importantly, the campaign will seek to position Roku's offerings as a suitable competitor to the offerings from telco and cable pay TV providers: "The most important question when buying a streaming player is 'What can I watch?' and this campaign highlights the superior selection of movies and entertainment available only on Roku," said Matthew Anderson, Roku's chief marketing officer, in a release.

Roku's actions are closely watched by the streaming media market. According to a Parks Associates report from August, Roku leads Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) TV and other Internet video device providers in market share, with 37 percent of households with a streaming media device in the first quarter using a Roku.

Roku sells a handful of streaming media boxes starting at $49, promising access to a wide range of online content from Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) to Hulu to "SpiritClips from Hallmark." However, the company also offers access to a range of cable-based sources like HBO Go and TWC TV for authenticated subscribers.

Roku announced in April it has sold a total of 5 million Internet video set-tops.

For more:
- see this Roku release

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