LAS VEGAS -- Repriced rental titles will be part of the vast mix of product choices retailers will face this fourth quarter, according to plans from several studios exhibiting at the Video Software Dealers Association convention here.
Paramount Home Video, Hollywood, will have a Shining Stars promotion featuring six recent titles at a $14.95 suggested retail, said Michael Arkin, senior vice president of marketing. The titles are "First Wives Club," "The Ghost and the Darkness," "Dear God," "Star Trek: First Contact," "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" and "Evening Star."
"First Wives Club" should do especially well in supermarkets given its target demographic of 18- to 49-year-old females, he said.
Paramount will also be concentrating on a cross promotion between Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and the "Peanuts" line.
Cabin Fever Entertainment, Greenwich, Conn., will emphasize the 75th anniversary of "The Little Rascals" with a new release, "Pete the Pup," and a re-pricing down to $9.95, said Craig Van Gorp, senior vice president of sales. One of the keys to the promotion will be a premium beanbag toy that will be available with the videos for $12.98. "Because of the fanatical Beanie Baby craze, this is going to generate a lot of extra attention in the marketplace," he said.
Overall, said Van Gorp, "We are hoping that retailers will also take a look at good catalog titles or non-event titles by jumping on and capitalizing on the next level of what is going to make this a profitable fourth quarter for them."
A&E Home Video, New York, is betting on its Blue Chip Specials campaign launching Sept. 16 to put it over the top this fourth quarter. Under the program, A&E is lowering the prices on seven four-box sets of collector titles to $39.95. The titles are: "CIA: The Secret File," "Crusades," "Locomotion: The Amazing World of Trains," "The Best of Lovejoy Mysteries," "Mafia: The Definitive History of the Mob in America," "The Mob" and "The Secret Service." Suggested retails for the sets generally are from $59.95 to $79.95.
"It's all about having the right titles at the right price points and bringing the quality to bear," said Thomas Heymann, vice president of new media at A&E Television Networks, New York.
Heymann is confident his nontheatrical product offering can break through the clutter this fourth quarter. "Customers are comfortable with our brands. They know us from television and know we deliver quality. Retailers don't have to worry about delivering products that don't meet their customers' expectations," he added.