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MUMBAI: Excel Home Videos, (India's leading Home Entertainment
Company and licensee for Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox) has set
a precedent for the Home Entertainment segment with back to back
DVD successes since the beginning of the year. The achievement has
been attributed to innovative synergy marketing.
""Re- Releasing DVDs coinciding with the theatrical release
of the films' sequels (Pirates of the Caribbean, X-men),
summer releases for children movies (Narnia, Chicken Little),
or releasing DVDs relevant to topical events (Goal during
FIFA world cup), or the documentary titled Cracking the Da Vinci
Code with the theatrical release has done wonders for these
DVDsThough Synergy is not a new concept in India, Home Entertainment
segment here has witnessed scarce activity on this front,"
said Excel Home Videos MD MN Kapasi.
"Merely coinciding the release hasn’t achieved us the
feat. The entire effort has been well coordinated with effective
pricing, DVD visibility in stores, innovative advertising among
other aspects," added Kapasi.
The success has merited attention from International Studios, who
are bullish about the steady growth of the home entertainment segment
in India.
“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,” says Walt Disney Company (India) managing director
Rajat Jain.
The ball started rolling after the DVD re-release of the Brad
Pitt starrer Fight Club few weeks before its desi version
hit the big screen. Advertisement spots were booked along side posters
of the Indian version in leading publications. Though the Indian
version was a non-starter at the box office, the English DVD did
roaring business with the pre launch hype.
Then came the biggest success story of the year, The Chronicles
of Narnia, whose DVD was released coinciding with the summer
vacations. This along with some innovative marketing activities
aimed at children created history by making it the highest selling
Disney DVD in India. X-men DVDs released along side the Theatrical
Release of X Men -3 further stamped the mantra.
Similarly synergy marketing saw the DVD of the documentary titled
Cracking the Da Vinci Code flying off the shelves following
its controversy. The DVD sold 4 times more than when it released
a year ago.
Success strories repeated with the film Goal. FIFA saw the
most unusual DVD success. Goal, a movie based on soccer which
went relatively unnoticed during its theatrical release, gained
tremendously from the soccer frenzy that had gripped the nation.
The DVD did well across the country especially in Bengal, Goa and
Kerala apart from the metros.
The theatrical hype and consequent success of the Pirates of
the Caribbean charted another mega success saga. The DVD achieved
the number one slot on the charts for over 8 weeks, a first time
for any DVD re-release. The Trend continues with release of Pixar
titles (Incredibles, Finding Nemo) coinciding with
the pre release hype of Cars, the latest Pixar edition, the
release of Manoj Shyamlan’s earlier collection alongside the
latest Lady in Water.
The Trend continues with release of Pixar titles (Incredibles,
Finding Nemo) coinciding with the pre release hype of Cars, the
latest Pixar edition, the release of Manoj Shyamlan's earlier collection
alongside the latest Lady in Water.
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