'Shrek 2' as Big a Hit at Retail as at Box Office

It's only fitting that the "#1 Comedy Of All Time" should generate unprecedented support at retail.While the home-video release of popular Hollywood films is standard fodder for promotional tie-ins and in-store events, few previous titles have received as much widespread, yet unique, support as Shrek 2, the DreamWorks blockbuster which debuts in stores today -- and whose jewel-case graphics boast of its status as the highest-grossing comedy in movie history.For instance, Wal-Mart stores are hosting special events with photo opportunities, premium giveaways, and product sampling, as it has done before with major releases. Displays for the video are positioned at store entrances or the mouth of Action Alley, as they almost always are. And, as it commonly does, the chain will be selling an exclusive product, the video packaged with a six-song CD of related party music.But for Shrek 2, Wal-Mart went beyond its standard operating procedure -- and, in fact, disregarded it -- by creating a 30-second TV spot to promote Shrek 2's upcoming release. (The spot featured Shrek and other characters dancing with a Wal-Mart employee in the aisles.)The belief that Shrek 2 will be a must-have for the video library also has a number of companies using the title as an incentive for other consumer action. Kia Motors is offering a free copy to anyone who takes a test drive (as it did with the original Shrek in 2001); Blockbuster, Inc. is giving it away to movie fans willing to fork over $17.49 per month for its Blockbuster Online unlimited-rental service; Albertsons offered a free copy of Shrek 2 (or Elf) to loyalty cardholders who spent $100 on select products between Sept. 22 and Nov. 2. (Participating brands included PepsiCo's Quaker and Frito-Lay, Dial and Hershey's.) The window on the Albertsons promotion reflects another unique aspect of the overall campaign: its longevity. Two promotional partners, Masterfoods and Kraft/Nabisco, used their tie-ins as centerpiece for Halloween activity. Themed packaging and displays began popping up in supermarkets as early as August, giving DreamWorks a lot of advanced publicity.Dreamworks' decision to buck recent convention -- in which major video releases premiere on Tuesdays -- and launch on a Friday led many retailers to devote two weeks of circular feature space to the title. In some cases, chains altered their incentive offers for the second week. (See the lists of retailer-specific promotions below for examples.)Other retailers are providing significantly more support than they do for a typical video release:CVS devoted the entire front page of its Oct. 31 circular to an offer for $10 off the video with the purchase of $20 in Procter & Gamble products. (P&G is not an official film partner, but is a fan of multiple-product purchase incentives.) For the week of Nov. 7, the offer changed to dangle two two-liter Dr Pepper products with purchase.Ahold USA chain Stop & Shop provided more than a half-page of its Oct. 31 circular to a promotion offering the video free with the purchase of 12 participating products from General Mills, Masterfoods, Coca-Cola, SC Johnson and Campbell Soup. (Shoppers can stop at six items and get $10 off the $20 retail price.) Lobby signs and endcap placement support. Sister chain Giant Landover is hosting the same offer.The cover of Meijer's Oct. 31 circular included a burst encouraging shoppers to "Get it First at Meijer" (at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 5) and an offer to save $5 with the purchase of two packs of Duracell batteries -- in addition to $4 off directly from Duracell. (See list of promotional partners below). Inside, nearly a full page is devoted to an offer delivering an additional $5 off the video with the purchase of 10 General Mills products. In Nov. 7 circulars, Meijer repeated the Duracell offer, dropped the General Mills promotion, and featured an offer for $5 off the video with the purchase of eight participating ConAgra Foods products.Rite Aid is using imagery from the film as centerpiece for its seasonal marketing campaign, a tactic it has used previously for theatrical releases such as Spider-Man 2 (for back-to-school 2004) and Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (holiday 2003). As a video-purchase incentive, the chain is dangling a free box of Crayola Crayons.ShopRite dispensed with its standard promotional discounts to offer the DVD at the Wal-Mart-level price of $15.95 (and the VHS for $11.95).