FOX PLAYS 'BARTOK' AS CROSS PROMOTION WITH PRIVATE LABEL

DAN ALAIMO

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment here is cross-promoting its Nov. 16 release, "Bartok the Magnificent," with a number of supermarket private-label programs, said Don Jeffries, vice president for sales and distribution.

Among the chains working with Fox in the unique tie-in are Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., and Albertson's, Boise, Idaho, according to industry sources. "Bartok" is a direct-to-video spinoff from the animated theatrical hit, "Anastasia." It will retail for $19.98.

"We at Fox are continually trying to find ways to incorporate the entire store into the video experience," said Jeffries. "The big challenge that all of us face is how do we capture the traffic that is already in the store and get them to rent or buy a video that they may not have thought of when they walked into the store."

One way to do that is to tie in a video with the retailer's private-label brands. "We understand that private label is a very profitable, high-volume, high-focus item for the grocer. If we can use our product to try and create more awareness for private label and vice versa, that is a win-win situation for both the retailer and us," he said.

The promotions vary by retailer, he said. For example, some retailers offer the private-label item for free with a video purchase, while others offer it at a discount.

The private-label promotion has helped to get top supermarket executives more interested in video, said Jeffries.