NFL VIDEOS WILL KICK OFF IN SUPERMARKETS

DAN ALAIMO

NEW YORK -- Teaming up with as many as 50 prominent supermarket chains and SC Johnson's Edge shaving gel, PolyGram Video here is kicking off the football season for its NFL Video line with an aggressive advertising and promotional campaign.

Among the chains participating are Giant Foods, Publix, Winn-Dixie, King Soopers, Giant Eagle, Wegmans, A&P, Dominick's, Jewel, Kroger, Meijer, Thriftway, Tom Thumb, Roundy's Pick 'n Save stores and Copp's. Now in the process of being rolled out, the NFL Video promotion will be in place in as many as 40 to 50 supermarket chains by the time the football season is in full swing, said Sal Scamardo, senior director of specialty programming, PolyGram Video.

Sports videos are "a big opportunity" for supermarkets because of the potential for impulse purchases, said Scamardo. "The kids are going to want them, moms are going to pick them up for their kids and husbands, plus you can do a lot of cross merchandising," he noted.

"The sports category lends itself to the grocery environment simply because there are so many cross-promotional opportunities."

Many supermarket chains are already involved with their local NFL teams, Scamardo said. "A good example is the King Soopers chain in Denver," he pointed out. "They have a huge presence in that marketplace. They're a big team supporter, and it's a part of their overall marketing. So when a video property comes along like the Super Bowl video last year, we were very fortunate to have them as a major partner. This year, they're a big supporter of the Denver Broncos highlight film, and they're going to support the John Elway film that we're doing this year as well."

The Edge Gel cross promotion will result in cross-merchandised displays in a number of the chains, Scamardo noted. SC Johnson is supporting the program with an in-pack coupon offering discounts on Edge Gel products, an in-store contest offering tickets to local games and television spots airing in more than 200 syndicated markets promoting the team videos.

Additionally, Polygram will run a "Tailgate Party at Home" television promotion, with spots airing locally on Fox affiliates. Fox and other products linked to the NFL program will tie in supermarket chains by urging consumers to buy the videos and food products to create a football party. Local "Home Team Retailers," many of which are supermarkets, will be mentioned during radio promotions for NFL videos.

The program began this month with the release of NFL team videos and "Elway: Champion Forever." September titles include "NFL's Greatest Games: '81 NFC Championship," "NFL eXtreme Access," "The 50 Greatest Quarterbacks" and "Howie Long's Tough Guys." October titles will include "NFL Hits: Jams," "NFL Hits: Country" and "NFL's Greatest Games: '58 Championship." The videos carry suggested retail prices of $14.95 and $19.95, depending on the title.