Though DirecTV has become known for its satellite dishes, the company wants to give customers a birds-eye view of its streaming offerings, and Henry Winkler is back again to help.
Last year, DirecTV debuted its “For the Birds” campaign, which pokes fun at how pigeons usually like to nest on satellite dishes. At the forefront of the campaign are two “perturbed pigeons” named Bobby and Frank, voiced by actors Steve Buscemi and Henry Winkler, respectively.
Winkler said he was approached by DirecTV to do the campaign last year and was looking forward to working with Buscemi on the project; however, the pair didn’t actually record in the same room.
“I didn’t know what it would be, but it was a lovely situation,” Winkler told ADWEEK. “It is only my voice. It took me a long time to get into voiceovers. I would audition and audition for years but missed out almost all the time. So here I was offered the campaign, and as an added bonus, Steve Buscemi. I never worked with Steve Buscemi.”
In the first two iterations of the campaign, the birds are usually in a scenario where they’re propped outside a window, discussing how it’s possible for a customer to be watching DirecTV without a satellite.
Sometimes new friends even join the two pigeons. Last August, Hall of Famer Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders voiced a pigeon with a cowboy hat who explains how to stream sports on DirecTV.
Now in the third iteration of the campaign, which debuts on Feb. 24, the pigeons are back with a new friend, Tammy the Squirrel, voiced by actress, comedian, and writer Kristen Schaal. Only this time, Tammy shares a wild theory about why DirecTV’s interface is so personalized.
According to DirecTV, the commercial in the latest campaign is supposed to highlight DirecTV’s user interface and integration capabilities across a wide range of content, whether the customer prefers linear television content, SVODs, or a combination of both.
Winkler explained each campaign and corresponding commercial tells a different story about what sets DirecTV apart from other competitors.
“Each one of them describes what makes it easier, what makes it more fun, what makes it a good reason to have DirecTV as opposed to any other outlet,” Winkler said.
Regarding this iteration of the campaign, Winkler has enjoyed getting to work on it over the last year. Similar to working on films or TV shows, he always wants to make sure he’s putting his best foot forward.
“It must be working,” Winkler said. “This is the third or fourth time they asked us to record, so my instinct is that it is successful, which is so great, because you never know. With everything that you do, no matter what the medium, no matter what it is, it is like you roll the dice, and you hope for cherries.”