Blockbuster Australia, operated independently of Blockbuster Inc in the US, will seek to distance itself from it’s beleaguered cousin with a multi-million dollar branding campaign.
Blockbuster Australia’s campaign aims to position the company and its franchisees as the preferred mainstream movie distribution channel in Australia. Representing the biggest investment Blockbuster Australia has made in the past decade, the campaign will be rolled out in six month intervals over the next 24 months and will capitalise on Australia’s love affair with the take home DVD. Remarkably, the DVD rental market in this country is the largest per capita in the world, with over 180 million movies rented in Australia in 2009.
DVD rental popularity in Australia shows little signs of abating, with some Blockbuster franchisees achieving double digit rental growth last year and the latest Australian PricewaterhouseCoopers Entertainment and Media Outlook 2010-2014 predicting demand to stay strong for a number of years.
Dennis Banfield, Blockbuster Australia’s General Manager, Operations, said the campaign is aimed at ensuring the brand’s popularity and franchisees’ profitability into the coming decades.
“Our consumers and franchisees wanted a modern, fresh look and feel to the stores and that’s what we’ve given them. We’re certain that customers will also notice how much easier it is to choose a DVD, especially with the expert advice our movie-buff employees can provide.”
“This is a very exciting time for the company and for our franchisees, whose support, dedication and passion for the brand is strongly reflected in each phase of the campaign.
It also comes at an excellent time when the company is in a strong financial position to make the right decisions about the future of the brand,” said Dennis.
Operating completely independently from Blockbuster Inc in the US, the Blockbuster Australia business is in good shape and unaffected by the Blockbuster Inc’s situation.
