PARAMOUNT SETS 'GUMP' CAMPAIGN

DAN ALAIMO

HOLLYWOOD -- Paramount Home Video here will mount a highly focused marketing campaign on behalf of "Forrest Gump," putting heavy emphasis on national network television advertising. The campaign, which will not include any cross-promotional partners, will generate over 2.5 billion impressions, said Jack Kanne, Paramount Home Video's executive vice president of sales and marketing. "Forrest Gump" will be released direct to the sell-through market on April 27 with a suggested retail price of $22.95 and a minimum advertised price of $14.95. There will be a 90-day pay-per-view window on the movie. It is the biggest movie to be released direct to sell-through in recent years with no cross-promotional activity, said industry observers. "It certainly will be the biggest nonanimated sell-through title of 1995. We think that the impact of our total marketing campaign is going to blow people away," said Kanne. Other key components of the program will include aggressive in-store point-of-purchase merchandising and a behind-the-scenes video about the movie called "Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump." "Forrest Gump" is the biggest title in the history of Paramount Pictures, with over $300 million in box office revenues. It recently won three Golden Globe awards, including Best Film, and is expected to be nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Market research indicates that the title also will do exceptionally well in supermarkets, said Kanne. The movie appeals to a very broad demographic -- from teenagers to 75-year-olds -- skewing slightly toward women, he noted. "Our consumer research was very compelling. It showed that there was a very high definite purchase intent on the title, second only to 'The Lion King,' " said Kanne. The studies reported that while 38% of respondents had a definite purchase interest in "Lion King," 32% were definitely interested in buying "Gump" and 28% were definitely interested in owning "Jurassic Park." While "Gump" may not achieve the same unit sales numbers as "Lion King" and "Jurassic Park," it is going to be a very strong sell-through title and the biggest ever for Paramount, said Kanne. He would not reveal Paramount's target for "Gump," but said it would be between 10 million and 20 million units. "Street date on the title will be Thursday, April 27, with the national advertised availability date falling a day later, on Friday, April 28. A toll-free number -- 1-800-765-GUMP -- will be available for retailers to report street date violations," said Kanne. In-store promotional materials will include prepacks of 24, 48, 96, 204 and 386 units. Order date for prepacks is March 7. The single-copy order date is March 30.