HBO remarkets its hit series
TV DVD GUIDE: The company will advertise its iconic series sets year-round
By Cindy Spielvogel -- Video Business, 4/21/2008
APRIL 21 | HBO Video isn’t planning on any new release configurations for its three iconic DVD series—Band of Brothers, Sex and the City and The Sopranos—in the immediate future, but the company does have a new advertising strategy for the existing sets. The company is taking a new approach to marketing the series, according to Sofia Chang, senior VP of retail marketing for HBO. The new strategy involves advertising the titles as gifts not just in the fourth quarter, but throughout the year.
“We’re taking a year-round gift-giving approach,” Chang says. The company previously tied the titles to specific gift-giving occasions such as Father’s Day, but now it’s expanding its approach by supporting the titles with gift ads “essentially all year,” she says. The sets will be promoted on the MySpace birthday channel and other gift-oriented sites, including those of Hallmark and American Greetings.
Band of Brothers debuted in 2001, but it got a sales spike after premiering on the History Channel in 2004, where it was exposed to a larger audience, Chang says. The miniseries will come to Blu-ray Disc later this year, she adds.
Sex and the City, which is available in a complete series set, will get some added awareness this year with the May release of the theatrical film of the same name. Consumers who buy sets around that time will get a ticket to the movie.
The Sopranos continues to sell well now that it’s getting increased exposure by airing on basic cable channel A&E, Chang adds.
And fans who want a new configuration to buy can rest easy knowing that a complete release of The Sopranos, in a gift set with the entire series and bonus features, should be available in the fourth quarter.
