The Cable Show 2011: Cablevision Expands Advanced Ad Capabilities

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Cablevision Systems Corp. has expanded its advanced advertising capabilities with the successful launch of Optimum Select RFI. The new capability allows viewers request more information via email from a 30-second spot with a few clicks of their remote.

The new features builds upon the MSOs interactive advertising system, Optimum Select, launched in late 2009 and have already attracted advertiser interest.

ICE Enterprise has already used the feature for a Royal Caribbean Cruise Line promotion. The Benjamin Moore and Adirondack Regional Tourism have plans to begin request for information to email campaigns shortly.

"Optimum Select RFI with email fulfillment is an evolution in interactive advertising, providing a more immediate dialogue with engaged consumers from a 30-second spot, and is already seeing results ahead of conventional direct marketing campaigns," said David Kline, president and COO of Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation (RASCO), the sales organization for Rainbow Media and Cablevision in a statement. "Giving advertisers the ability to send viewers an email offer from a TV commercial, whether in the form of a direct offer, e-brochure or coupon, is a cable industry first."

The ICE campaign consisted of a "two for the price of one" vacation offer from Royal Caribbean, promoted through 30-second television spots, enabling consumers to request more information about purchasing the vacation package and joining the travel rewards program.

"We could not have been happier with the results of the Optimum Select RFI with email fulfillment campaign; it is truly a groundbreaking milestone in television advertising driving engagement and ROI directly from the thirty-second spot," said John Rowley, chairman and CEO of ICE Enterprise in an statement. "The goal of the campaign was to generate sales for both Royal Caribbean and travel reward enrollment, and the campaign generated a total of 3,000 unique email leads over a two week period. The offer redemption rates were off the charts at 24 percent -- more than double the industry average for conventional email campaigns."

Rowley added that such campaigns "help brands break-through the increasingly cluttered media landscape."