MCA PLANS BIG PUSH FOR 'JURASSIC' AT RETAIL

CHRISTINA VEIDERS

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- MCA/Universal Home Video will promote Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "Jurassic Park" to home video sell-through with a retailer-driven marketing program that features six cross-promotional partners, including Kraft General Foods' Jell-O brand and McDonald's.

The street date for the video is set for Oct. 4.

Louis Feola, president of MCA Home Video, and Andrew Kairey, senior vice president of marketing and sales at MCA/Universal Home Video, were on hand here to unveil details of the massive multilayered promotion during a press event May 24 at sound stage 27, where a portion of the film, which grossed $900 million in worldwide sales, was made.

Both executives emphasized that the marketing and promotional support given to the videocassette release, estimated to be worth in excess of $65 million among the promotional partners' combined efforts, was structured to be "retailer-friendly and retailer-driven."

Kairey told SN Kraft's Jell-O brand tie-in would help make "Jurassic Park" particularly appropriate for grocery retailers. Kraft expects to have more than 10,000 grocery outlets promoting the release with special floor displays.

Kraft plans to advertise the "Jurassic Park" rebate offer on more than 15 million packages of Jell-O Ready-to-Eat Gelatin and Pudding Snacks. It will support the promotion with a multimillion dollar television and print advertising campaign consisting of network, spot market television and a national freestanding-insert in October.

In addition, consumers can get a $5 mail-in rebate for "Jurassic

Park" and Jell-O brand snacks by submitting six proof-of-purchase tabs and cash register receipts from the designated Jell-O products, along with the rebate form, which is located in the "Jurassic Park" video. The offer will be valid from Sept. 15 through Jan. 31, 1995.

Indicating their sensitivity to past McDonald's video promotions with other studios, MCA/Universal was careful to point out that their efforts in promoting "Jurassic Park" with McDonald's would "encourage consumers to visit their video retailer."

Previous McDonald's video promotions such as Orion's "Dances with Wolves" and titles promoted with Paramount have drawn protests from the retail community over putting McDonald's at an unfair price advantage and driving revenue away from retail outlets.

"Jurassic Park" will not be sold at McDonald's. However, beginning Nov. 18, McDonald's will offer four MCA/Universal titles, "The Land Before Time," "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West," "Back to the Future" and "Field of Dreams," for $5.99 each with the purchase of a sandwich. In each of these videos, there will be an insert containing a $2.50 mail-in rebate offer for the purchase of "Jurassic Park" at video retailers.

In addition to the $2.50 rebate for the "Jurassic Park" video, each of the above titles will contain additional mail-in rebates for a wide range of other MCA/Universal titles that are only available at video retailer outlets.

McDonald's will support the "Jurassic Park" promotion with local marketing events and point-of-sale materials.

Feola said its alliances with promotional partners will result in more than 8 billion consumer impressions in combined advertising and promotions, penetrating 98% of the adult population 25.2 times.

Priced at a suggested retail of $24.98, with a minimum advertised price of $14.98 for 45 days, sales in sell-through and rental worldwide of "Jurassic Park" are estimated to generate $1 billion in revenue.

Executives declined to give expected initial unit shipments or a projected sales breakdown among various classes of trade. Preorder date is Sept. 14. There also will be no pay-per-view until Feb. 1, 1995.

The promotion will kick off at retail with sign-up centers where shoppers can reserve their copies of the video prior to the Oct. 4 release. Those who reserve a copy of the video will receive a free, special-edition illustration of "Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park."

In addition, the "Escape to Kauai" Jurassic Park Sweepstakes will be promoted in-store through the sign-up centers and in electronic and print advertising campaigns. A five-day and four-night stay at the Princeville Hotel Resort and Spa in Kauai will be awarded to 15 grand prize winners.

Steve Gretzinger, video coordinator, Angeli Foods, Iron River, Mich., approved of the preorder concept at retail. "We've done a lot of those [reservation centers] on our own ever since the first "Home Alone" movie. Those work well," he said.

Promotional partners Kenner, Ocean of America and Tiger Electronics will run media ads on the availability of "Jurassic Park" on home video during various promotional periods.

CompuServe will reach its 1.9 million on-line subscribers with a "Jurassic Park" trivia contest, running August through September.

From July 25 through Aug. 19 Beach MTV will open with a "Jurassic Park Call of the Wild" contest, broadcast live from Hawaii. The grand prize is a trip for two to Kauai, and additional winners will receive a copy of the video.

Sci-Fi Channel will reach 24 million households with an on-air sweepstakes in October.

Each "Jurassic Park" video will contain a 14-page insert that features product-related advertisements, a coupon and mail-in rebate form.

With the Oct. 28 release of Disney's "Snow White" from Buena Vista Home Video, retailers said they will have two powerful products and marketing packages to top their sales in the fourth quarter.

Generally, retailers didn't see conflicts in the videos being released close together. They viewed "Snow White" and "Jurassic Park" as two different products.

"It doesn't matter they're coming out close together. 'Snow White' is requested the most of Disney's films. They ['Snow White' and 'Jurassic Park'] are aimed at different markets. 'Snow White' is mainly for people with children. 'Jurassic Park' has a different appeal," explained Karen Welch, video buyer and manager for Supervalu/Clyde Evans Markets, Lima, Ohio.

Gretzinger of Angeli Foods sees the two releases as "making one heck of a nice fourth quarter for us. The movies ['Snow White' and 'Jurassic Park'] are far enough different that it won't hurt anything."

Although Gretzinger predicted "Jurassic Park" will be a big sell-through title, he was less enthusiastic about the margins on the video. "It will be cutthroat for [sell-through]. It will be a hard one to make any money on. We expect to make a lot of money on rentals, so that'll make up for it."

Barry Streetman, president, Streetman's IGA, Konawa, Okla., said his store doesn't generate a lot of sell-through sales, but he expects "Jurassic Park" to be an exception. "Even though sell-through is not a big thing for us, 'Jurassic Park' will be like 'ET.' We should do a pretty substantial sell-through."

Said Welch, "It will probably be the biggest sell-through this year."