DALLAS: Blockbuster's PR department has gone back to the drawing
board with its pre-holidays campaign in the wake of the terrorist
attacks last month.
The chain is also putting warning stickers on newly released videos and
video games that it feels contain scenes that could now be considered
disturbing.
"It's not up to us to censor these titles, but we feel it is our job to
help customers make an informed decision about what to rent," explained
the retailer's VP of PR Liz Greene.
Blockbuster was planning to launch a campaign playing on the stress of
spending time with the family at Christmas, but that plan has since been
shelved. "Now it doesn't seem so funny," said Greene. "So many people
have lost family members, it just wasn't an appropriate theme any more,"
she explained.
Greene and her team have decided to turn original plans on their head by
focusing on viewing movies as a family. They are reintroducing the
Family Viewing Guide that was circulated during the summer, featuring
100 movies suitable for families to watch together. The team is in the
process of finding a psychiatrist to talk to the media about ways of
dealing with stress.
Greene said that Blockbuster will also boost the numbers of videos sent
to troops in military bases.
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