Since the fall of 1998, Rogers@Home had successfully positioned cable Internet access as a faster alternative to traditional dial-up service. In the spring of 2000, the market was seeing a shift with the emergence of high-speed Internet service being offered by the phone companies. Internet provider wars south of the border fueled the fires even more.

While Rogers@Home had employed an aggressive competitive positioning in the past, it decided to really take the bull by the horns and pull out all the stops – pitting cable Internet access against all phone access to the Internet, including high-speed. In doing so, Rogers@Home sought to further entrench cable in the minds of consumers as the faster Internet alternative. The goal was to ensure Rogers@Home continued to capitalize on the growth of the Internet market and to ensure that it became the high-speed service of choice.

The company delivered an integrated campaign – including TV, print, radio, online advertising, posters and print inserts – to cast doubt on high-speed Internet connection over telephone lines, and used direct mail to explain its failings in greater detail. The target audience was the savvy surfer – primarily male – who values speed above all else. The names were culled from the Rogers cable database.

The creative used as a motif the ‘download rigor mortis’ condition from which one would presumably suffer if not using cable. The offer of free installation and one month free made the package that much more attractive.

Even with aggressive sales targets, the campaign almost doubled the number of subscribers gained versus the same period the previous year.

Client: Rogers@Home

Campaign: Download Rigor Mortis

Agency: MacLaren MRM

Creative Directors: Bob Goulart and David Hamilton

Copywriters: Sheri Ballantyne and David Hamilton

Art Director: Melanie Ellery and Bob Goulart

Photographer: Michael Lee Photography

Director (Broadcast): Charles Wittenmeier

Agency Producer (Broadcast): Angie Loftus