Shaw and Novus square off via social media over $10 promotion

Though Shaw dominates most cable subscriptions in the lower Mainland, Novus has managed to gain a foothold in Concord Pacific built buildings in Yaletown, Coal Harbour and Burnaby. Customers in those buildings can opt for either Shaw or Novus, and recently Shaw has upped the ante by offering a $9.95 price point for two months of free Shaw Digital TV, followed by a $9.95 charge for the next 10 months. 

Novus, a relatively small competitor, has decided to go asymmetrical and is employing social media to get out its side of the story. The company has launched a “10 Bucks Too” campaign imploring Shaw to offer the $9.95 deal not just to Novus customers but to its entire customer base. But rather than rely on traditional media, Novus is using word of mouth via a website, Twitter, Facebook and mobile to reach both its own customers and Shaw subscribers. 

What’s interesting about the Novus campaign is that in times gone by, a competitor would either have to get bought out or roll over and be defeated by the serious marketing muscle at Shaw’s disposal. But with the advent of social media Novus can potentially reach not only all of Shaw’s customers but the ones that really matter to their bottom line, and through peer network like Twitter might just be able to turn the tables on Shaw’s old media moves.

Full disclosure: I’m a Novus customer, and I currently have episodes of “This Is Yaletown”, my Freyburg Media web series, running on the Novus Community Channel.