What do you do after you quietly become a $1 billion business? Cox Business’ answer is to start making some noise. The company has launched a national ad campaign that leverages some of the best-known brands in the entertainment business to strengthen its own.
Cox Business hired actor Sam Neill, widely known for appearing in the first and third “Jurassic Park” movies, to appear in commercials directed by Jesse Dylan, son of Bob. The first three were filmed at the Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods.
The commercials are aimed at branding only. Cox Business does not mention telecommunications or data communications in any of the three spots thus far. Instead, the ads focus on the qualities of strength, flexibility and support.
Cox became the first cable operator to serve business customers in 1993 and formally established the Cox Business organization in 2000. Since that time, it has grown from $100 million in commercial services revenue to more than $1 billion in 2010.
Cox Business said it provides voice, data and video services for more than 260,000 small and regional businesses, including health care providers, K-12 and higher education, financial institutions, and federal/state/local government organizations.
“As Cox Business moves toward a multibillion dollar organization, the breadth and depth of our customer relationships must expand incrementally,” said Murray Goldstein, director of marketing for Cox Business. “More than anything else we’ve done in the past, this campaign positions Cox as a national player in the business market, in the same class as other iconic B2B brands.”
Cox Business “Hoover Dam” ad: