TiVo Reactivation
Rovi + TiVo
Joining TiVo through the Rovi acquisition, one of the first challenges to solve was TiVo’s focused support of their consumer hardware business and little was invested in brand development.
A New Theme: Forward Faster
The first step to unify both companies’ stories was creating a new brand narrative. Rovi and Tivo ran similar businesses and joining forces would accelerate their go-to market status. “Forward Faster” united the two companies and cultures with a cohesive and straightforward story.
Innovation is in our DNA
To promote the vision and mission statements, I created a campaign for internal and external use: #InnovationsByTiVo. We produced videos and social media campaigns highlighting innovation, that year’s achievements and Tivo’s vision of enjoying digital entertainment. This not only heightened the internal innovation programs but also provided a fresh perspective for consumers to understand that most of the technology used by brands like Facebook, Apple, Xfinity, DIRECTV came from TiVo’s vision.
Enhancing your Entertainment Experience
After a clear vision had been established, our message encompassed more than the consumer business. Yet we needed to ensure that our partners were using Tivo’s language and a value proposition to help amplify the brand beyond the DVR.
With no rules or regulations, the brand was steering away from its goals and objectives. In an effort to embrace our cable provider partners and help them sell products as we continue to expand brand awareness, I created the TiVo Enhanced program. The badge was an effective way to introduce an ingredient brand to unify the message. The solution was obvious: address what TiVo brings to the table. A toolkit and brand guidelines were created and distributed among our partners. To help with the implementation, we came up with the marketing campaign and supporting assets. In addition, we established quarterly meetings where partners proudly showed us their take on the program. The program was well received and helped amplify our brand through different markets.
Taking TiVo to the Next Level
Cord cutting and content fragmentation is the new reality, and TiVo’s brand was still struggling amid the many competing options such as Roku, FireTV, Chromecast, AppleTV and others. TiVo was suffering from their past success. They started the DVR revolution and consumers had a difficult time associating this iconic brand with anything else. TiVo was working on a new line of products and the messaging needed to speak to today’s users. With the exception of Apple, most other products focus on a list of features. Research shows that consumers make decisions based on the product ecosystem, price point or what is on sale on a given day. The challenge for TiVo was to create a unique and bold narrative consolidating today’s major challenge: content fragmentation.
TiVo brings entertainment together in one place, making it is easy to find, watch and enjoy programs. I worked with a team to develop a solid and straightforward message in addition to a playbook that covers Tivo’s high-level value proposition to messaging at the feature level. This refinement helped us create the foundation for new products.
TiVo’s Bold and Fresh Approach to Visual Expression
After crafting a unique voice for TiVo, the visuals needed work. Our primary colors, blue and white, worked well to establish a clean and sterile look but more was needed. To promote the brand look and feel and bridge the gap between the sterile tones and a more vibrant color, we uplifted our secondary color palette to primary hues and mixed the tones to create engaging gradients.
The second phase of the visual expression was to integrate lifestyle photography. I wanted strong-willed people in a space with a bold atmosphere. An empty lot in downtown LA with architectural touches became the frame for the visual story. The physical space had to be an extension of the people behind the camera.
TiVO+
TiVo+ was the second product launched as part of the new TiVo strategy. It’s a new streaming network integrated in the TIVO UI. TiVo+ brings the best online video and a smorgasbord of everything into the living room in an easy-to-use experience that requires no switching between apps. I wanted to produce an on-air package that resembles a real network. The end result was a bold, colorful and contemporary look consistent with the main brand.