Hot ad campaigns pump up video release of hit films - Video & Dvd - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, June 10, 2002 by Doug Desjardins

It's no secret that many hit films generate more revenue through video sales that they do at the box office. This trend has become even more pronounced in recent years with the growing popularity of DVD, which has driven video sales to record highs.

So it only stands to reason that the studios would spend as much money on marketing the video release of a hit film as they do when it's released in theaters. Warner Home Video set the gold standard in home video marketing in May with a massive worldwide campaign for the release of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." And now other studios are following that lead with big-budget campaigns for hit summer releases, such as "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "A Beautiful Mind" and "Black Hawk Down."

New Line Home Entertainment is pulling out all the stops for its massive hit "The Fellowship of the Ring." The first installment of the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy posted $310 million in theaters and will add to that total when it's released Aug. 6 on VHS ($22.94) and DVD ($29.95).

"When you total all our spending and the spending of our promotional partners, it's a $45 million marketing campaign," said Matt Lasorsa, senior vp of marketing for New Line Home Entertainment. In addition to launching a massive TV and print campaign, New Line is teaming with several promotional partners, including Kia Motors, Gateway and Air New Zealand.

The studio and its partners will launch a second wave of ads for the release of a special extended edition of "The Fellowship of the Ring" on Nov 12. The four-disc version will contain six hours of extras and 30 minutes of additional footage not seen in the original film. This new version may also carry an R rating.

Universal Studios Home Video will put marketing muscle behind the June 25 release of "A Beautiful Mind" at a MAP price of $14.95 on VHS and $22.95 on DVD. The film earned $175 million at the box office, won the Academy Award for best picture and earned Ron Howard an Academy Award for best director.

The release will be backed with a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign with network and cable TV ads and a print initiative in major publications. Universal also may advertise the video release of "A Beautiful Mind" on theatrical trailers in June (the studio would not confirm whether it would pursue the idea).

"We're going to create a lot of excitement around the title and make the release a major retail event," said Universal Studios Home Video president Craig Kornblau. "There's a lot of retail activity right around the Fourth of July, so the timing is great."

On June 25, Universal will release another hit film, "Gosford Park," the Robert Altman mystery that earned a slew of Oscar nods.

The war drama "Black Hawk Down" made a strong showing in theaters earlier this year and Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment will try to repeat that success when the DVD is released on June 11 for $27.96 (the VHS version will be sold at a rental price).

"Suffice to say that the release will have one of the largest marketing campaigns we've ever had for a VHS rental title," said Tracey Garvin, vp of marketing for Columbia. "We'll be doing network TV ads during the NBA basketball finals and we'll come back with more TV ads during the Fourth of July."

Columbia also will have billboard advertising in major markets, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston, and a few smaller markets that fit the film's target audience. "We're also going to have outdoor advertising in Washington, D.C., and Norfolk, Va., since those are cities with a sizeable military presence," said Garvin.

Paramount Home Entertainment will take a similar approach with its $80 million Mel Gibson hit "We Were Soldiers," which will be released Aug. 20 for $29.99 on DVD. "We're going to have heavy buys on network TV and cable, along with print advertising in People and Newsweek," said Paramount spokesman Martin Blythe. "But we're also going to advertise in magazines like The Army-Navy Times to reach the military community."

Paramount also has the $75 million box-office hit "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" scheduled for a July 2 release and the comedy "Orange County" slated for June 18. Both are priced at $29.99.

The comedy "The Royal Tenenbaums" will be released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment July 9 in a special two-disc set for $29.99. The studio also has the Kevin Spacey drama "The Shipping News" slated for June 18 on DVD for $29.99.

Buena Vista has two kid's titles scheduled for summer release. The animated adventure "Tarzan & Jane" will premiere July 23 for $24.99 on VHS and $29.99 on DVD, followed by the theatrical release "Return to Never Land" on Aug. 20 for $24.99 on VHS and $29.99 on DVD.

Miramax Home Entertainment has three award-winning films due out this summer. The French comedy "Amelie" will hit stores July 16 at $29.99 on DVD. "In the Bedroom," starring Golden Globe Award-winner Sissy Spacek, will be released Aug. 13 ($29.99 on DVD), followed by "Iris" with Judi Dench and Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent on Aug. 20 ($29.99 on DVD).