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FUJI, TV GUIDE STAGING A JOINT SUCCESS

ELMSFORD, N.Y. -- Record More Profits, a multilayered cross-promotion between Fuji consumer videotapes and TV Guide, is a hit in supermarkets, mass merchants, electronics stores and music retailers. The promotion involves Fuji's single and multipack videotapes and offers an on-pack instant coupon for either a free or substantially discounted copy of TV Guide. It also includes 7 million in-pack cards

ELMSFORD, N.Y. -- Record More Profits, a multilayered cross-promotion between Fuji consumer videotapes and TV Guide, is a hit in supermarkets, mass merchants, electronics stores and music retailers. The promotion involves Fuji's single and multipack videotapes and offers an on-pack instant coupon for either a free or substantially discounted copy of TV Guide. It also includes 7 million in-pack cards that offer four free issues of TV Guide, along with a subscription, and provides an entry card for a $100,000 cash giveaway sweepstakes. Another element of the promotion includes a host of space-efficient merchandising displays that Fuji has sold into more than 15,000 stores. These prepacked floor displays come in several configurations, all with eye-catching header cards. Fuji supported the sweepstakes promotion with an ad in TV Guide that offered 60 cents off two or more videocassettes. TV Guide placed rack cards at supermarket checkout counters in the top 10 markets during the weeks of March 2 and 9. This started as a subscription circulation deal and grew from there, said Jeff Bender, director of special consumer markets at TV Guide, published by News America Corp., Radnor, Pa. It is the nation's largest weekly magazine, with a circulation of 13 million. It wound up pulling in not only subscription and single copy sales, but ad sales as well. Bender said there's a strong synergy between Fuji and TV Guide products. "One of the reasons to work with Fuji is that their largest distribution channel is in the supermarkets," he said, "and, obviously, for single copy sales, that's our largest channel as well." According to Bender, the instant coupon for a free copy of TV Guide was only a test on a small percentage of Fuji packs. "We're looking to see how it lifts their business," Bender said. Bill Drysdale, marketing manager for consumer audio and video tapes at the magnetic markets division of Fuji Photo Film USA here, said, "It's a wonderful partnership. What we like best is that we can promote a single stick, which usually doesn't happen in the video tape business."

He also pointed out that with the low average price and low margin for a single videocassette, there's really not much you can do to add value.

"For food retailers, it's perfect. It allows them to make some nice displays right at checkout. This is important, particularly in the food trade, because a lot of it is on planograms, on pegs."