In a new ad for DirecTV, the American satellite TV provider and broadcaster, Rob Lowe stars as a man who is painfully awkward as he continues to give his reputation as a handsome, Hollywood heartthrob a run for its money following the already introduced, “Creepy Rob Lowe” and “Less Attractive Rob Lowe” spots. The ad is the latest in a line of ads for the company by Grey New York, which appear to be asking just how low Rob Lowe can go, and was directed by Tom Kuntz, an award-winning filmmaker known for his unique music videos and ads, which tend to focus eccentric individuals, time-lapse photography, colourful settings or all three at once.
Painfully Awkward
The initial ads were a huge hit for the company, with Lowe gently mocking his publicly perceived image, so it's no wonder Grey decided to continue with the theme. As with his other “Lesser” selves, this painfully awkward Lowe subscribes to cable instead of DirecTV, which is used as a means of explaining his incredible lisp, crippling agoraphobia and horrendous hair style. The “Creepy” persona is offset by the Regular Rob Lowe, who (of course) subscribes to DirecTV. It's not going to be the last either, as Grey has stated there are at least two more ads on the way.
Creepy
The ad arrives at a time of real change for DirecTV. The company recently received a $48.5 billion bid from AT&T, with the companies joining forces to keep up to date with the publics increasing demand for cable, TV, broadband and phone bundles, with AT&T an obvious partner, given that their cable TV offerings are limited at best, whilst DirecTV offers satellite TV, but no phone of broadband. A spokesman for AT&T said of the proposed merger that, unlike the recent Comcast/Time Warner Cable transaction, “This merger does not add existing broadband assets to AT&T’s broadband network, and thus does not increase AT&T’s market presence in broadband,” implying that the AT&T deal will lead to lower TV bills for DirecTV subscribers.
Less Attractive
DirecTV has also been making some waves with their original programming of late, with the new drama “Kingdom,” which is based around the world of mixed martial arts, having been just picked up for two more seasons. This follows a quick pick-up for their series “Rogue,” meaning the company might finally be ready to step up to the plate and go toe-to-toe with big names such as HBO (Game of Thrones) and AMC (The Walking Dead). DirecTV's senior vice president of original content production, Chris Long, said “DirecTV could not be more thrilled by the response that last week’s premiere of Kingdom elicited from both critics and viewers.”
Official Grey New York Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. To him, Rob Lowe is, was, and always will be Chris Traeger
