As part of an event marketing strategy surrounding “CBS: The First 50 Years” retrospective that airs tonight, the network is slated to run a direct to consumer spot to promote sales of two anniversary-themed keepsakes
“We have a big budget for this. We do hundreds of offers a year,” said Jeffrey Nemerovski, director of new business development for CBS consumer products.
A 20-second spot will offer a 325-page photo-history book and a CD collection featuring theme songs from such shows as “I Love Lucy,” “The Jackie Gleason Show” and “Dallas.”
CBS tapped Columbia House to handle fulfillment of the products, which will be offered at a packaged discount rate of $16.60 in three monthly installments through an 800 number, according to Nemerovski. The book alone retails for about $30 and was distributed this week to retailers.
Columbia House, which operates “re-tv” as part of its video club division, will aim to upsell its own line of classic television video sets that include 60 shows.
Separately, the network is planning another programming-based marketing opportunity with a direct to consumer spot that will offer a collection of Frank Sinatra songs. The American icon who died last week will be featured in a “48 Hours” story tomorrow that recaptures a Walter Cronkite interview that initially aired in 1965, among other footage.
