Invitation Only: Subscribers to Host TiVo Tasting Parties
It’s the Tupperware approach…applied to entertainment technology. TiVo is hoping try-and-buy parties, hosted by current subscribers, will spur usage among new prospects.
As the pioneer developer of digital video recording, which lets consumers record and watch TV programs how and when they like, TiVo hopes its TiVo Tasting Parties will let subscribers show friends “their passion for the invention they credit for changing their lives,” the company said.
To bring the tasting parties to life, participants can download invites, party favor ideas, suggestions for music to set the mood, and name-that-tune style trivia contests with TV theme songs from HouseParty.com/tivotasting. Participants can also post photos and blog about the event on the Web site.
At each party, TiVo is providing broadband subscribers with a special two-hour programming package that will be sent to owners’ TiVo boxes. The package includes premieres and two trailers for the Weinstein Company’s Arthur & The Invisibles, a live-action and computer-animated family adventure due out next year, and Bobby, Emilio Estevez’s exploration of the night in 1968 when Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down. Party-goers will also be treated to trailers for the comedy School for Scoundrels starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder, released today, and the action-adventure film Stormbreaker starring Ewan McGregor and Mickey Rourke, both from the Weinstein Company.
In addition, the programming block will feature a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the Concord Music Group’s CD Ray Sings, Basie Swings featuring commentary from Ray Charles’ longtime manager, and a one-hour recap of the Sci-Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica narrated by series star Mary McDonnell.
Hosts will be encouraged to show off TiVo services, including Season Pass recordings (which allow consumers to watch every episode of their favorite shows), Wish List searches (a keyword search function tied to TV programming content), online scheduling and more.
Meanwhile, TiVo dangles a special $5 off limited-time offer on a TiVo box subscription of $19.95 per month when guests sign up for the TiVo service.
“We’ve found that word-of-mouth is really a strong purchase influencer and we’ve gotten feedback from subscribers who are always introducing the product to their friends,” said Katie Ho, VP-consumer marketing, TiVo. “We wanted to provide [subscribers] with the tools and structure to facilitate the conversation for people who have heard of TiVo but haven’t had the chance to experience it. We understand how important it is for someone to touch and fell our product.”
The party hosts aren’t given incentives or rewards for hosting parties (other than the exclusive content they receive) and are not obligated to report on the success of their event, Ho said.
Alviso, CA-based TiVo began to promote the party idea to its 4.4 million subscribers eight weeks ago through its newsletter and via messages downloaded to subscribers’ boxes.
“We were hearing from TiVo subscribers that they often used the Super Bowl and other events to show off the special features of TiVo,” Ho said. “We thought that with the new fall TV season, now was the perfect time [for the promotion].”
Irvington, NY-based House Party, Inc. handles the online component of the promotion.
