DirecTV shows you how to be your own scapegoat

So I was watching the NBA Finals at a bar last night because I refuse to pay Comcast for cable. I had a good seat, the Mavs were winning–all was well. That is, until the signal cut out in the middle of the 3rd quarter.

What happens as soon as the signal cuts out? A big DirecTV logo starts to ping itself around a black screen.

If there ever isn’t a time to be showing your logo, this is definitely it. Who can’t get their shit straight for the most important basketball game of the 2011 NBA Finals? I know exactly who… DIRECTV, because their logo is the only thing on the screen right now.

I know in this age of CPM advertising, you’re supposed to show your logo all the time because eventually it’s going to permeate our collective subconscious and magically reappear right before it’s time to select a cable provider. But if there’s ever a time not to show your logo, this is probably it. It would be the same as AT&T having a message saying “This dropped call brought to you by AT&T, the carrier that covers 97 percent of Americans.”

So while shameless, nonstop self promotion is the norm, it’s probably a good idea to get out of your own way when people are looking for somewhere to blame.