Studios Agressively Marketing Blu-ray This Holiday With Tru Blu Campaign
A $25 million Blu-ray Disc marketing campaign launched this week from the Digital Entertainment Group and a number of studios, raising the format’s profile in time for the holiday season. Dubbed ‘Tru Blu,’ the TV, online and in-theater blitz kicked off during Fox’s NFL programming on Sunday, Nov. 2. The campaign will target consumers ages 25 to 44 who already own or intend to purchase HDTVs. Tru Blu is designed to both spur Blu-ray fourth-quarter spending as well as educate consumers about the advantages of the format. The spots will additionally drive viewers to the Web site WatchBlu.com, which includes Blu-ray news, trailers and exclusive content.
Retail plans to support the campaign with in-store merchandising to help customers navigate through their Blu-ray purchasing. Studios coming together to finance the Tru Blu promotion are 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video. Electronics manufacturers Panasonic and Sony also are involved.
“Blu-ray is clearly the best way to watch and experience high-definition in the home,” DEG chairman and Disney president Bob Chapek said. “It is unrivaled by any other delivery system and theretofore becomes essential to accompany any high-definition TV. As such, Blu-ray is a clear successor to DVD and will enable a revolutionary entertainment experience that will transcend the next decade of movie watching in the home.”
The DEG and studios are proud of Blu-ray’s progress so far. U.S. consumers are expected to purchase 2.4 million Blu-ray set-top players in 2008, three times more than what sold in 2007, according to DisplaySearch. Blu-ray software sales now account for more than 10% of sales for major releases, marking a significant uptick over its Blu-ray portion sales from last year. Still, the Tru Blu backers hope to give the format an extra push for the holidays, which are hitting at a time when consumers are spending conservatively in a softening economy. This blitz marks the studios’ second major collaborative effort to promote Blu-ray. Last year, during the thick of the format war, studio-backed ads pushed the image that high-def TVs and Blu-ray players make the perfect marriage.
TV programs set to feature the Tru Blu campaign include ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money and Grey’s Anatomy, Fox’s House and NBC’s The Office and Law & Order: SVU. Web sites targeted include Maxim.com, GameSpot.com, ESPN.com and MSN.com. Ads also will unspool in theaters nationwide.
Article courtesy VideoBusiness.
Hi def is the way to go, will be def picking up some blu rays this christmas and would get more if the prices dropped to around 20-22 per disc.
If you release stand-alone Blu-ray recorders in the US that have HDMI inputs and reduce movie prices, sales will take off.
In addition, I suggest reducing Blu-ray licensing fees and reducing US licensing fees on movies.
Many people already realize that Blu-ray is a drastic improvement over DVD. However, people want lower prices on players and movies, and there is a group of people out there, like myself, that are waiting for stand-alone recorders to hit the US market. My US based home theater dealer says that they could sell stand-alone recorders today for people who want to archive their HD home videos.
IMHO, I do not think that a marketing campaign that tells people what many already know will do much. Please give people what they want, not what you have to sell. If you do, sales will take off. IMHO, it is the fault of Sony and licensing fees in addition to not releasing stand-alone recorders in the US as of this date that the format has not taken off.
Trust me, reduced prices and stand-alone recorders, soon, will greatly help the format to take off. However, if these are delayed, I think that Sony risks that the format will succumb to competitors or be replaced before it is adopted. HVD is on the horizon, not to mention broadband movie distribution.
Very very interesting post..I like this one. gotta bookmark this one.
Cheers,
gadgettechblog.com
Very very interesting post..I like this one. gotta bookmark this one.
Cheers,
gadgettechblog.com