MUMBAI: Innovative marketing strategy is what keeps the cash registers ringing. And that’s exactly what Excel Home Videos has been doing recently. The company has been strategically re-releasing DVDs of certain films to coincide with relevant events, holidays or sequels’ release dates and has garnered a good response from this exercise.
To add icing to the cake, major international companies like Walt Disney are bullish on the steady growth of the home entertainment segment in India and Excel’s innovative synergy marketing is only helping them strengthen their belief.
Excel Home Videos managing director Muslim N Kapasi says, “Re- releasing DVDs coinciding with the theatrical release of the films’ sequels like Pirates of the Caribbean and X-Men; summer releases for children movies like Narnia and Chicken Little; or releasing DVDs relevant to topical events such as that of Goal during the FIFA World Cup; or the documentary titled Cracking the Da Vinci Code with the theatrical release of The Da Vinci Code has done wonders for these DVDs. The DVD of Cracking the Da Vinci Code sold four times more than when it was released a year ago.”
“Though synergy is not a new concept in India, the home entertainment segment here has witnessed scarce activity on this front. Merely coinciding the release hasn’t made us achieve the feat. The entire effort has been well coordinated with effective pricing, DVD visibility in stores, innovative advertising among other aspects,” he adds.
The Walt Disney Company (India) managing director Rajat Jain adds, “We highly commend Excel’s ‘approach to market’ in this growing segment in India. This is a priority market for us and we continue to work closely with all our associates in growing the kids and family entertainment business. With presence in almost every entertainment media, Disney is best positioned to provide and support synergistic approach for our business relationships in India.” Excel Home Videos is the licensee for Disney in India.
Another example of synergy marketing was with the DVD re-release of the Brad Pitt starrer Fight Club a few weeks prior to the release of Sohail Khan’s movie with the same title. Excel Home Videos had booked ad spots along side posters of the Indian version in publications. While Sohail Khan’s movie didn’t do much for the producers at the box office, it sure did soar the DVD sale of Pitt’s movie.
A case in point is the DVD release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was excellently timed to coincide with the summer holidays. The release of the DVD was packed with innovative marketing activities aimed at kids. The result: it went on to create history by making it the highest selling Disney DVD in India. The same was also proved true by the re-release of X-Men DVDs as it was timed with the theatrical release of X Men – 3.
Touted as one of the biggest crowd puller, this year’s FIFA World Cup in Germany had many a people hooked. In order to capitalise on the hype and interest around FIFA, Excel re-released the film Goal, based on soccer that went relatively un-noticed during its theatrical release. Again, Excel’s strategy worked to the ‘T’. The DVD sales of Goal were helped by the soccer frenzy that had gripped the nation. As a result, the DVD sold well across the country; especially in the football crazy states of Bengal, Goa and Kerala.
The release of Disney’s blockbuster movie – The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest starring the inimitable Johny Depp’s recently, prompted Excel to re-release The Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Needless to say, it was yet another success story. The DVD achieved the number one slot on the charts for over eight weeks, which is a first time for any DVD re-release.
In a day and age when options available for audiences are plentiful and old movies are forgotten with the coming in of new ones, Excel’s marketing strategy sure seems to be working wonders.
