Brands give box sets new life

Discount Store News, May 19, 1997 by Robert Scally

Video suppliers are increasing the use of branded lines, special box set collections and special editions as marketing and merchandising tools.

While box sets and special editions have been around for some time, they have waxed and waned in popularity. But they were given new life in 1995 when Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment reissued all three "Star Wars" films as a set and sold more than 22 million units domestically. All three films went on to be re-released theatrically and the two-decade-old "Star Wars" name was born anew as a brand for the '90s.

While the "Star Wars Trilogy" sales phenomenon may have been a unique event, the use of branding and extending product lines through special edition releases has become an important trend for sell-through video.

Brand power in home video can work in dramatic ways for movies that are far more humble than the splashy "Star Wars."

Take Ma and Pa Kettle, for instance. Played by veteran actors Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, the "hillbilly" duo of Ma and Pa Kettle and their 15 children were the protagonists in a 10-film series of low-budget comedies that were made on the Universal Studios back lot between 1949 and 1957. Although the films weren't critically praised at the time of their original release, they made millions for the studio.

Universal Studios Home Video looks for ways to create a line or a box set when there might be "a collectors opportunity." said Andrew Kairey, executive vp at Universal Studios Home Video.

Four years ago, Universal Studios Home Video issued all 10 films on videocassette as a set, and Kairey said he didn't think it would sell. He became a believer when "Ma & Pa Kettle" sales numbers came rolling in. Universal Studios Home Video has sold in excess of 2.5 million units in the "Ma & Pa Kettle" series since it was released, he said.

The evolution of using brands as a means of organizing films on videocassette for sale to the mass market has grown out of Hollywood's desire to use already-paid-for films from its vaults to reap new profits.

"The whole process of branding collections is an organic process that developed over the years," said Brad Kirk, senior vp of marketing at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Several Hollywood studios have untapped collections of films and television shows sitting in their vaults.

Universal alone has about 1 000 active video titles, 4,000 films in the vaults and about 25,000 television episodes.

Columbia/TriStar Home Video, another studio with a big film library, is also using branding to help promote its catalog.

"We have some amazing films in our catalog, and Columbia/TriStar is spending a lot of time and money repromoting the catalog, spending more time on packaging and doing some branding in terms of our family line or our westerns line or our classics line," said Ben Feingold, president of Columbia/TriStar Home Video. "Our catalog is growing significantly at all price points."

MGM Home Entertainment has about 4,000 to 5,000 titles in its library and has used branded lines as a marketing tool for the past two and half years, said Corie Tappin, vp of marketing for sell-through at MGM Home Entertainment.

Branding can turbocharge sales of titles that otherwise would have remained moribund.

Last year, MGM took the 1991 drama "Not Without My Daughter" starring Sally Field and put it into it's Movie Time line.

"Not Without My Daughter" had been selling about 1,000 units per year before it joined MOM's Movie Time collection, and sales for the title jumped to 250,000 last year with no additional promotion, Tappin said.

MGM created a bold look for its lines that make a statement when merchandised together, Tappin said.

Nostalgia for older films and television shows and growing consumer desire to collect favorite titles are driving the box set and special collection trend from the consumer side, video industry executives said.

Studios are tailoring their special release products to attract consumers who range from casual movie watchers who want to own a copy of a favorite film to serious video collectors and fanatic fans.

Paramount Home Video is releasing the "Godfather" trilogy in four different special sets that range in price from $24.95 for individual copies to $150 for a 25th anniversary commemorative edition that includes numerous extras. A limited edition of 5,000 copies that includes a certificate of authenticity signed by director Francis Ford Coppola is also available at $150.

"I think you're going to see more of this as the films of the Baby Boomer generation reach their 20th and 25th anniversaries," said Dorrit Ragosine, spokeswoman for Paramount Home Video.

Branded lines built around genres such as westerns or popular price points make it easier for the customer to buy, studio executives said.

"Shopability is always very high on our list," said Fox's Brad Kirk. "It allows us to cross-promote within collections. `All About Eve,' which is a Studio Classic, will have something on it that cross-promotes it with another Studio Classic title."