FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Corporate Communications 214/854-3190   COMPUTER-GENERATED DANCING BABY LAUNCHES BLOCKBUSTER'S® NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN Customers Guaranteed to "Go Home Happy" Dallas, March 25, 1998 -Still debating who had the snazziest outfit at the Academy Awards? Kim Basinger, perhaps? Maybe Helen Hunt? How about America's newest star, the Blockbuster "Dancing Baby?" Smartly clad in a gold diaper, the "Dancing Baby" is the star of the first television spot in the new advertising campaign launched nationwide by Blockbuster®. The computer-generated baby, popularized as a fixture on the Internet and FOX's "Ally McBeal," dances energetically to Rick James' classic hit "Give it To Me Baby" while promising more new releases. The campaign, being created by Young & Rubicam, New York, will use a variety of creative techniques - including computer-generated graphics, animation and live action - to communicate one key message: Blockbuster pledges to have customers "Go Home Happy." "Although our television ads will look very diverse on the surface, the tagline is the thread that ties the campaign together," said Scott Parks, director of advertising and promotions for Blockbuster Entertainment Group. "'Go Home Happy' struck a chord with our customers, who know what it's like to leave video stores dissatisfied. Our advertising campaign is designed to confront common, negative perceptions of the video rental experience and demonstrate that Blockbuster is different." According to Blockbuster's research, the issues most important to video-rental customers are selection, availability, convenience, service, atmosphere and pricing. A series of eight to 10 ads, currently being produced and test marketed, will focus on the tangible promises Blockbuster makes to consumers, including: … More copies and guaranteed availability of new releases; … Five-night rental of thousands of new releases and Blockbuster Favorites; … Availability of movies first at Blockbuster, usually two full months before cable and pay-per-view. Parks said this eclectic "uncampaign campaign" is a departure from Blockbuster's previous television ads. "Our new campaign is hip, fresh, smart and contemporary designed to appeal to movie lovers with a young attitude. We need to be as exciting and entertaining as the products we're selling." Blockbuster operates approximately 6,000 video and music neighborhood entertainment stores in the United States, its territories and 25 countries and may be accessed internationally at www.blockbuster.com. Blockbuster is a unit of Viacom Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and publishing companies and a leading force in nearly every segment of the international media marketplace. ### |  Current Releases   |  Archives   | BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. © 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.