CROSS-PROMOTIONS SET FOR 'GUMP' TO FLOAT IN

DAN ALAIMO Additional reporting: JOEL ELSON

Retailer-designed video cross-promotions will get a jump start when "Forrest Gump" comes out later this week. Seizing an opportunity caused by the lack of national tie-in partners for the multiple-Academy Award winning film, retailers have created their own cross-promotions with related products. These include shrimp, chocolates and the two Forrest Gump cookbooks, all closely recalling themes in the movie.

"Forrest Gump" will be released by Paramount Home Video, Hollywood, on Thursday, April 27, with its national advertising availability date following on Friday, April 28. The movie, which grossed over $300 million at the box office, will be priced for the sell-through market with a suggested retail of $22.95, a minimum advertised price of $14.95, and will have a 90-day pay-per-view window.

"I think it is going to be a very, very strong title for us," said Greg Davies, director of video operations, Dierbergs Markets, Chesterfield, Mo. "I was a little skeptical at first, but after talking to customers and employees, I've found that it's a title that everybody wants to own. It's one of those they can watch over and over again," he said. Dierbergs is planning two cross-promotions. One will be with the seafood department, where a monitor playing the movie will be placed, he said. "Shrimp is a strong item for us anyway, but this is really going to create some excitement," he said. "We are going to hold a drawing and give away numerous pounds of shrimp. That is going to help us promote the video and increase sales in our seafood department," he said.

A second Dierbergs "Gump" promotion will center on the book department and the two Forrest Gump cookbooks on the market: "Cooking With Shrimp" and

"Cooking With Chocolate." "We will promote both of those and give some copies away," said Davies. The books will be merchandised in the chain's book departments and video departments, he said. Seaway Food Town, Maumee, Ohio, will also do two cross-promotions with the hit movie, one on Forrest Gump Chocolate and another with shrimp, said Eileen Ustaszewski, video merchandiser. "We are selling the Forrest Gump Chocolate in the video department," she said. There are two types of the chocolates, Forrest All America and Mama's Home Style, both from Falcon Candy Co., Philadelphia. Ustaszewski hopes store managers will move the products out to the main sales floor when the movie is released. "Having 'Forrest Gump' in with the regular grocery items will help us establish video as a destination department," she said. In the shrimp promotion, Seaway Food Town was also planning to tie-in with Dr Pepper, another product featured prominently in the movie, she said. "We have an advantage over regular video stores since we can work with both Dr Pepper and the shrimp. 'Forrest Gump' provides a nice tie-in," she said. Another chain that will cross-promote "Forrest Gump" with seafood is Bi-Lo, Mauldin, S.C., according to a distribution source. On the weekend of the movie's video release, seafood department personnel in all 260 stores will don Bubba Gump hats and red aprons and serve shrimp to customers. Copies of the tape will be nearby for people to purchase, said the source. In about half of the Roundy's stores that carry video, the "Gump" release will be co-promoted with the Forrest Gump chocolates, said Teri Severinsen, manager of video services for the Pewaukee, Wisc.-based company. "By tying it in with the chocolate, we felt it would be a good promotion for Mother's Day," said Severinsen. Copps Corp., Stevens Point, Wisc.