Time Warner buys Super Bowl spot to kick off 'Enjoy Better' campaign

Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) said Wednesday that it purchased a TV spot in NBC's coverage of Super Bowl 46 which it will use to kick off a new branding campaign that it calls "enjoy better."

The ad, starring comedian Ricky Gervais and actress Mary Louise Parker, is expected to show how subscribers can view pay TV programming on multiple platforms, including mobile devices such as Apple's iPad. The MSO hasn't released the ad yet, but says it will use its Facebook page and other social media to promote the campaign.

Time Warner Cable is spending $80 million on the "enjoy better" campaign, according to a report in the New York Times.

It's unusual for a cable MSO to purchase an ad in the Super Bowl. While DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) has previously advertised during the Super Bowl, most cable operators focus on regional and local marketing campaigns to reach new customers.

For more:
- see the news release
- the New York Times has this story

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