Intrada's vinyl release of Troll got me to thinking about selling gimmicks. Good and bad. I have The Deep lp that was electric blue. I also have the old Superman II lp that had the Superman emblem (logo or shield or family crest or whatever the hell it is) "laser" etched onto the vinyl so if you shined a light on it it would flash. Sorta. What are some of your favorite selling gimmicks?
Intrada's vinyl release of Troll got me to thinking about selling gimmicks. Good and bad. I have The Deep lp that was electric blue. I also have the old Superman II lp that had the Superman emblem (logo or shield or family crest or whatever the hell it is) "laser" etched onto the vinyl so if you shined a light on it it would flash. Sorta. What are some of your favorite selling gimmicks?
Early 80s it was picture discs. There even were picture disks shaped in the outlines of the picture. Singles printed on paper or very thin vinyl so they would bend along with the magazine they were in.
Not sure if this qualifies - but the complete release of the Real Ghostbusters had the Firehouse box set which could only be obtained by buying the whole series. One of my all time favorite purchases. The music effects tracks was the closest release to a soundtrack for the series to date.
Just waiting for that soundtrack, or Ghostbusters soundtrack box set...any day now right? it would contain: Scores for GB1, 2, Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters.
Speaking of "Ghostbusters", the other day I saw a vinyl soundtrack (a new pressing) which came in a white *puffy* package, like the Stay Puft Marshmallow man. No kidding.
I also remember, a few years back, a "Grease" DVD release that came packaged in a leather jacket (for guys, I guess), or a pink sweater (for girls, I presume).
I think there was also a "Planet of the Apes" box set that came in the shape of an ape's head or bust. That was kind of creepy.
Then of course, there's the "Blade Runner" DVD/Blu-Ray release that came in a Voigt/Kampf brief case. That was pretty cool. I believe it also came with die-cast metel toy "spinner" inside....
I have the Darth Vaders-Theme aka Imperial March on compact disc, shaped as the Helmet of Darth Vader and this came out on during the time of the Special Editions release OF THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. It has another tracked called the Betrayl at Bespin. ( I think there were two more for the Max Rebo Band from JEDI and Cantina Band characters for A NEW HOPE)
Another Most recent is the now expensive expanded 2disc set of Hans Zimmers' INTERSTELLAR with the Illuminated Star Filed box that came with the blinking lights!
The SPECIAL EDITION Book Bound sets from the Original STAR WARS Trilogy are actually my favourite Gimmick cds.
Then of course, there's the "Blade Runner" DVD/Blu-Ray release that came in a Voigt/Kampf brief case. That was pretty cool. I believe it also came with die-cast metel toy "spinner" inside....
Yes, I have that too.. a briefcase! which came with a metallic origami, a toy car!
It would be nice to have some gimmicks on some sountrack CD's, but I suppose profits are tight & they can't afford to go in for all this stuff, & anyway a gimmick wouldn't persuade me to buy a soundtrack I don't want.
Good to see they still do it for some DVD/Blu-ray titles like, The Walking Dead & Dexter. I gave away by big Alien head about six months ago.
Pink Floyd's album "Pulse" that had a small LED light in the spine that pulsed (blinked) constantly. It ran with 2 AA batteries that were housed in the spine of the slipcase.
Like the "Superman II" LP mentioned above, there was a Styx LP that had a laser-etched emblem on it, but I can't remember which album it was. (It might have been called "Paradise Theater" or something{?}. Again, not sure.)
I dunno about 'favourite', but the 2 CD edition of the French film RRRrrr!!! (which has the Talgorn score disc as well as the songs) comes in a funky furry holder!
There are those "The Simpsons" DVDs of individual seasons that are shaped like different character's heads. Personally, I find them annoying, as I just want them to sit on my shelf along with my other movies and TV shows.