PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Walt Disney Co. executives were again out in force at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' Annual Meeting here, touting upcoming summer and fall video releases and tie-ins with such traditional grocery items as Ragu pasta sauce and Welch's jellies.
Along with Disney, executives from Lipton, which markets Ragu, Campbell Soup, Del Monte Foods, Frito-Lay and Nabisco mingled at the cabanas where informal business meetings were held with some of the 2,300 drug suppliers, wholesalers and retailers attending the event held late last month.
"It's symbolic of channel blurring," Max Goldberg, vice president of promotions for Disney's Buena Vista Home Video division, Burbank, Calif., told SN.
"Retailers in all channels try to target their message so the consumer will buy more in their stores. As the lines that everybody carries get increasingly blurred, it's more important than ever that consumers be offered added value and promotions that break through the clutter," said Goldberg, a two-time meeting attendee. "Entertainment promotions have shown that they do break through."
The Sept. 15 re-release of Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" will be tied to Ragu by a $5 mail-in rebate with the purchase of the video and any three eligible Ragu sauces. From Sept. 1 to Feb. 28, 1999, Welch's will support "The Lion King: Simba's Pride," released directly to video on Oct. 27, with 10-ounce collectible jelly glasses featuring characters and scenes from the video. A consumer offer also will be attached to large-size glasses. In addition to Welch's, General Mills and Unilever's Lever 2000 soap brand are partnering with Disney on the animated title.
Admitting that some of these promotions may not be "100% on-target with the drug class of trade," Goldberg said there is still plenty that drug retailers can take advantage of. To those who purchase other leading releases, for example, Disney is offering savings on hit titles.
"It's an opportunity [for the retailer] to associate with Disney and our partners' brands, and the brands drug chains are creating under each of their store names -- CVS, Eckerd, Rite Aid, and Walgreen," he added. "It's partly how they try to brand themselves in using these promotions to bring customers into their stores."
