SIVA TO INCREASE ITS MARKETING ACTIVITY

DAN ALAIMO

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- The Special Interest Video Association will step up its focus on marketing in the future, said Paul J. Caravatt Jr., president of the Norwalk, Conn.-based trade group. In December, SIVA will launch an on-line information service through L.A. News Link, a computer service unit of the Los Angeles Times and Prodigy, said Caravatt. The association is also increasing its international marketing efforts and its cooperative efforts domestically with the Video Software Dealers Association, Los Angeles. Caravatt spoke during SIVA's fifth annual convention here, Nov. 9 to 11, which was attended by about 350 people, up from 220 last year. "We are marketing-oriented. We believe that it is not good enough to produce a great video or multimedia product. You must find a way to reach the audience that needs that product and to get it into their homes, businesses, schools or wherever else it is needed," said Caravatt. "We know that without effective marketing, that great product will never get into the hands of all those whom it might benefit. We need to continue to create markets based on the special interest needs of our intended audiences." SIVA now has almost 1,000 individual members from 375 organizations, including video producers, marketers, duplicators and distributors, he said. SIVA is looking for ways to broaden its horizons and those of its members. "We in SIVA are creating a whole spectrum of special interest communications that will not only find a place on multichannel television, but also on your computer and in your video and compact disc library," said Caravatt. "As we define 'special interest,' it is only limited by one's imagination. As long as there are groups of people who need, want, seek and are willing to pay for access to information and inspiration, education and entertainment in particular areas, our marketers and producers will be finding ways to serve their needs. Like America itself, special interest is the land of opportunity, not only for marketers and producers, but also for consumers," he said. "In the world of politics, 'special interest' has become a term spoken of with suspicion. In the world of communication, however, 'special interest' has come alive as a term filled with optimism."