MSN TV service from Microsoft Corp. has launched a $5 million holiday advertising campaign using direct mail, DRTV, print and radio.

The national consumer campaign targets older Americans and new technology users who are new to using the Internet.

The direct mail pieces, 600,000 expected to reach mailboxes this week, targeted three segments with three distinct creative: Older Americans and Hispanic and African American households. Pieces were mailed to targets in Miami, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tampa and Chicago. The offer featured two-months worth of free service and drove prospects to an 800 number, said MSN TV spokesman Benjamin Billingsley.

Future mailing will depend on the return on investment, he said.

The one-minute and two-minute DRTV spots air on national cable channels and major networks in cities with large populations of older people including Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix and Tampa. The ads explain how the Internet receiver and service operate. An important theme of the three ads will be to show how families can stay in touch using e-mail to communicate and send photos. In addition to an older population the ads also target their adult children who may purchase the service as gifts for their parents.

“This is the largest population group in the United States that is not yet online,” Sam Klepper, senior director of marketing at MSN TV said in a statement. “Our marketing campaign builds credibility with them because we actually show how incredibly easy it is to set up and use MSN TV. There truly are no computer skills required.”

The system sells for $99 at Best Buy and Circuit City Stores Inc. across the nation.

MSN TV service from Microsoft Corp. has launched a $5 million holiday advertising campaign using direct mail, DRTV, print and radio.

The national consumer campaign targets older Americans and new technology users who are new to using the Internet.

The direct mail pieces, 600,000 expected to reach mailboxes this week, targeted three segments with three distinct creative: Older Americans and Hispanic and African American households. Pieces were mailed to targets in Miami, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tampa and Chicago. The offer featured two-months worth of free service and drove prospects to an 800 number, said MSN TV spokesman Benjamin Billingsley.

Future mailing will depend on the return on investment, he said.

The one-minute and two-minute DRTV spots air on national cable channels and major networks in cities with large populations of older people including Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix and Tampa. The ads explain how the Internet receiver and service operate. An important theme of the three ads will be to show how families can stay in touch using e-mail to communicate and send photos. In addition to an older population the ads also target their adult children who may purchase the service as gifts for their parents.

“This is the largest population group in the United States that is not yet online,” Sam Klepper, senior director of marketing at MSN TV said in a statement. “Our marketing campaign builds credibility with them because we actually show how incredibly easy it is to set up and use MSN TV. There truly are no computer skills required.”

The system sells for $99 at Best Buy and Circuit City Stores Inc. across the nation.

MSN TV service from Microsoft Corp. has launched a $5 million holiday advertising campaign using direct mail, DRTV, print and radio.

The national consumer campaign targets older Americans and new technology users who are new to using the Internet.

The direct mail pieces, 600,000 expected to reach mailboxes this week, targeted three segments with three distinct creative: Older Americans and Hispanic and African American households. Pieces were mailed to targets in Miami, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tampa and Chicago. The offer featured two-months worth of free service and drove prospects to an 800 number, said MSN TV spokesman Benjamin Billingsley.

Future mailing will depend on the return on investment, he said.

The one-minute and two-minute DRTV spots air on national cable channels and major networks in cities with large populations of older people including Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix and Tampa. The ads explain how the Internet receiver and service operate. An important theme of the three ads will be to show how families can stay in touch using e-mail to communicate and send photos. In addition to an older population the ads also target their adult children who may purchase the service as gifts for their parents.

“This is the largest population group in the United States that is not yet online,” Sam Klepper, senior director of marketing at MSN TV said in a statement. “Our marketing campaign builds credibility with them because we actually show how incredibly easy it is to set up and use MSN TV. There truly are no computer skills required.”

The system sells for $99 at Best Buy and Circuit City Stores Inc. across the nation.