In an effort to help Vudu grow their customer base and reach new audiences in the theatrical window, we partnered together with Fandango on a ticket offer to purchase other Brad Pitt starring films for a limited time. This presented a great catalog drafting opportunity since anticipation for the new film is highest during this window.
Customers who purchased their movie ticket on Bullet Train would get emailed an offer via code redemption to purchase three other films starring Brad Pitt (Moneyball, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Fury) for $5.99 each, a savings of more than 50%.
In 2013 as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was making its theatrical debut, I worked with the team at Vudu to develop the world’s first pre-order bundle. This product offering allows customers to pre-order the movie in theaters while giving them instant access to watch the catalog title. Once the new release is available, it automatically appears in their library and the customers end up getting both movies at a discounted bundle price.
As we started measuring the performance, not only did we see increased revenue as customers traded up for the bundle, but it also drove as much as 90% of pre-order sales for the new release.
Today, the pre-order bundle is a benchmark strategy used by all studios and content providers and is available on most major retailers including Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play, and Microsoft.
My team and I were also the first to introduce movie cash offers on Vudu. This catalog promotion leverages the heightened brand awareness of a title during its theatrical release with an added incentive of an $8.00 credit towards their movie ticket.
These types of drafting promotions are among the most successful throughout the entire year with incremental revenue well into 6-figures. It’s also a great way to kick-start pre-orders of the new release when the pre-order bundle is included in the offer.
Viewing parties take place when customers purchase or rent the new release, press play together at 6pm PST, and follow @vudufans on Twitter for live commentary, trivia, and prizes. These are fantastic events for driving multiple brand impressions, increasing fan engagement on Sony content, and giving the retail partner a point of difference in value to the customer.
Working together with Vudu, I have launched several viewing parties on key tentpole titles. In addition to offering a unique social experience, we consistently see impressions and customer reach well into the millions with the event becoming a trending topic on Twitter. All this added exposure and engagement results in a higher number of transactions and increased market share.
In partnership with consumer electronics companies and consumer packaged goods, I have closed deals to deliver digital copies of movies and special offers to physical in-store customers via redemption code printed on insert in the packaging or on the receipt during checkout.
Partners typically see over 20% sales lift on products in-stores featuring the digital offer vs. regular SKUs. These have also proven to be an excellent customer acquisition strategy for the digital retail partner.
One of the core foundations to my role is leading the planning and execution of all Sony title releases and programs on the storefront each week. Site placement on the homepage is key for maximizing sales. For major box office titles like Bad Boys For Life where the commercial opportunity is large, we also work with the retail partner on all supporting programs and media assets such as hero banners, social posts, paid media campaigns on Facebook, and events (i.e. Twitter viewing parties).