FAST FORWARD 1995-08-14

Patti Ganguzza

Video cross-promotion tie-ins provide unique promotional advantages: sponsor exclusivity, no clutter, creative flexibility, point-of-sale presence, unique audience involvement, synergistic sponsorships, extensive promotional opportunities and built-in consumer demand.

These are some of the insights from captivating case study presentations on "Jurassic Park" and "Free Willy," presented last month at the Brand Marketing/Supermarket News conference: "Cross-Promoting Video Titles in Supermarkets," held in Los Angeles.

"Jurassic Park" broke several records with its sell-through video promotion, but the standout was the power and allure it wielded in securing Kraft Foods' Jell-O as its marketing partner. For Jell-O, it was a first venture into the world of entertainment for the powerful brand name. Andrew Kairey, senior vice president of sales and marketing at MCA/Universal Home Video, and Marie Smyth, Kraft Foods consultant, guided us through this mega-union from conception through its multi-tiered, multi-level in-store execution.

In another case study, John Trierweiler, senior director of marketing at Bumble Bee Seafoods; Ken Reich, vice president and general manager for Bonacker & Leigh; and Tom Lesinski, vice president of Warner Home Video, explored how choosing the right entertainment property can work to create a franchise for your brand that builds equity through borrowed assets.

Both brands were able to capitalize on the excitement and unique promotional opportunities offered by these highly-anticipated video cassette releases.

What they had going for them was the association with blockbuster family films, the ability to reach a broad base of consumers who support the dynamic video industry and the potential of impacting the promotion and sales of the "Jurassic Park" and "Free Willy" videos with the "impulse to buy" factor at the point of message delivery, consequently impacting the traffic and sales volume of the videos and the Jell-O and Bumble Bee Seafoods products. Promotions of this nature delight customers by providing creative, effective marketing responses to their purchase desires and expectations.

Home video is a major source of leisure time activity. Because of consumer demand, it has earned a ubiquitous presence in the retail marketplace. With convenience always driving a portion of our purchases, it is not surprising supermarkets have realized the consumer appeal and sales opportunities associated with the product. Having the supermarkets intimately involved with the video market allows the studios and brands to enlist the supermarkets' expertise and knowledge of moving product through their stores. Instead of just selling the merchandising for their promotions, they now have a cooperative partner to ensure the cross-promotion is effective. Register sales are always the best measure of a promotion's success. With the supermarkets managing the process with a vested interest in the outcome, there will more likely be immediate communication of the in-store impact. There are still things to learn in this unique relationship. The outlook is very good because the word from supermarkets, brand managers and studios is "we can help each other" achieve our goals.