Ben Kay who manages newsXpress Forest Hill (Vic) had a bright idea. He wanted to promote the hell out of the Neighbours special DVD in the Herald Sun this Saturday and a 20th anniversary Neighbours feature on TV Week next week.
Ben was keen because the hit Neighbours TV show is shot three streets away from the newsagency. Several cast members shop in the newsagency regularly. The shopping centre is used for filming shopping scenes used in the show.
News Corp’s Herald Sun team came on board with great promotional help. As have the team at ACP, publishers of TV Week.
To create a strong presence Ben wanted more and so contacted Network Ten for posters and other material. After speaking with ten different people and being pushed from pillar to post someone within the Network said “no”, we don’t have anything and there are all sorts of legal issues. At each point of contact the Network Ten people were unhelpful. It was almost as if why promote this?
All Ben was after was a few posters and maybe a cut out life size item for us to use in store. It would promote the Neighbours brand, connect with the product they have already endorsed and create a deeper connect with the community in which the show is filmed.
To illustrate the interest locally in Neighbours our newsXpress Forest Hill shop has received prepaid orders from customers wanting to make sure that their Herald Sun is kept for them tomorrow so they don’t miss the Neighbours DVD.
This is an opportunity lost. Network Ten blew it. The promotion in our shop could have been bigger bolder and more successful. As it is we have created tons of our own posters to make a strong presence.