'POCAHONTAS' TIE-INS AIMED CHIEFLY AT RETAILERS

CHRISTINA VEIDERS

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The fruits of nearly a year of negotiation and planning on tie-ins to Disney's "Pocahontas" video release are being borne through promotions designed to meet retailers' goals, said marketers. Retailers are critical to the success or failure of co-promotions such as "Pocahontas" tie-ins with Ralston Food's Chex cereal and Mattel Toys, suppliers said.

"We try to promote a unique execution for the retailer," said Rick DeHerder, senior vice president, sales and marketing support at Mattel, El Segundo, Calif. "We don't have any option because retailers control access to consumers," he added. "It's very important that every national promotion has spins that can be taken down to the local level. You have to look at what each retailer is trying to accomplish. How are they branding themselves? What is their message to consumers?," said Max Goldberg, vice president, promotions for Buena Vista Home Video, Burbank, Calif.

These remarks were made during a discussion on marketing with home video at the Star Power '96 Entertainment Marketing Conference, held here last month by the Promotion Marketing Association of America, New York.

Ralston is marking its fourth home-video promotion with the "Pocahontas" release, said Dan O'Neal, director, promotion services at Ralston Foods, St. Louis.

The promotion is a sweepstakes offer to win one of 10,000 "Pocahontas" videos, plus a premium offer to purchase a color-changing "Pocahontas" cereal bowl.

It is the display activity from such promotions that drives the cereal business, O'Neal said. "Themed point-of-sale and display contests seems to work well for cereal account specific promotions. The contests drive the retailer back to perform for display," he said.

The tie-in with Mattel is structured around a value-added consumer offer. For $3.99 a customer can receive a set of special edition "Pocahontas" prints valued at $15.99. Under the umbrella of this national promotion, Mattel and Buena Vista have concentrated on account specific promotions within the mass merchandising channel, including Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us. "We need to take into account how retailers like to do business," said Mattel's DeHerder.