Satellite TV provider PrimeStar, first founded in 1991, turned up for its second Super Bowl in a row in 1996 as it continued its push for critical mass (see also “At Last,” 1995).
While the Dallas Cowboys worked on dispatching the Pittsburgh Steelers at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., PrimeStar deployed “She Loves TV” to fend of the younger but fast growing DirecTV (est. 1994). The spot, by Adler Boschetto Peebles & Partners, aimed to present a real TV habit as not only compatible with well-rounded living but worth paying for. So the “she” talking to the camera is shown spending more time achieving a little home improvement than actually settling down to watch (though that’s there too). The ad also depicts an example of an actual customer, building on the prior year’s establishing shot, which didn’t get much further than the pets and a child. There’s a solid sales pitch too, including all kinds of programming beaming to a rented mini-dish “at about a dollar a day,” which Ad Age’s reviewer called “the game’s strongest sell.”
Less than two months after the game, however, Dish Network would show up to crowd the satellite TV category further. On the agency side, Draft Worldwide acquired Adler Boschetto Peebles in 1997.
PrimeStar kept fighting, going to 1998's Super Bowl XXXI with "Pipe," created by the rechristened ABP/Draft Worldwide with the help of Industrial Light & Magic.
Ultimately, PrimeStar was acquired by DirecTV 1999.
BRAND: PrimeStar
YEAR: 1996
AGENCY: Adler Boschetto Peebles & Partners
SUPERBOWL: XXX