WaxWorks Team Marketing adds retail clients
Office Depot, Walgreens among stores carrying local titles
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 3/13/2009
MARCH 13 | WaxWorks’ Team Marketing is scoring new retail clients as stores rally around local sports franchises.
The division, which produces and distributes proprietary content and services select outside studio titles to retail, has won new store clients Office Depot and Walgreens. These non-DVD specialists as well as other retailers believe sports titles will connect with local fans, boosting loyalty and overall product sales.
Team Marketing recently shipped in-house production BCS National Championship Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma into 133 Office Depot outlets in victorious Florida. At the same time, Team Marketing delivered in-house title 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs. Ohio State to 149 chain locations in winning Texas.
“This is their first significant shipment with us,” said Clayton Nicholls, Team Marketing’s VP of sales, of Office Depot’s order. “They have a lot of feet coming through their doors, but they can’t compete with the new releases at Best Buy [or mass merchants], so they want to have titles that others may not.”
In general, Office Depot has not considered DVD key merchandise. But Nicholls believes that will change, at least within these locations, which are likely placing the titles in front-of-store cardboard standees.
Similarly, Team Marketing is distributing Warner Home Video’s Feb. 24 release NFL Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers Champions into 13 Walgreens outlets in and around Pittsburgh, Penn. The Walgreens chain hasn’t offered many sports DVDs in the past, notes Nicholls.
Other recent Team Marketing client add-ons include 650-outlet chain Hibbett Sports. Team Marketing shipped about 3,000 copies of documentary Defining Moments: Alabama Football to more than 50 Hibbett storefronts. Team Marketing also shipped the title to several Alabama-area Books-A-Million outlets.
Beyond new retail clients, Team Marketing also is enhancing its business with new DVD label partnerships. Starting Feb. 1, Team Marketing began distributing content from extreme sports specialist VAS. About 20 VAS titles should be coming from Team Marketing this year.
VAS fills a past void in Team Marketing’s title stable, as it had largely been delivering titles spanning the major team sports, such as college and pro football. VAS, last distributed by WEA, features such brands as surfing gang Bra Boys and the Ultimate Fighting Championship fitness series.
“VAS sees that we sell sports 24 hours a day, and [its titles] complement what we offer,” said Nicholls.
