One of my all time favourite movies is “Heat”.  Written and directed by Michael Mann it stars Al Pacino and Robert de Niro in a crime epic set in LA.  It’s an enthralling, fast-paced movie with a surprising amount of depth to it.  It also contains possibly the best movie shoot-out scene of all time.

Anyway, the movie had already been in my DVD collection for some time.  Over Christmas while in the UK, I noticed a “Special Edition” version.  On my return home I checked out the SE version in an online store and promptly bought it.

Now, I have to confess, this is not the only movie where I have two copies!  And it’s getting a little annoying to notice that the first DVD version of a movie is released a few months after the theatrical release and then a “Special Edition” version comes a few months after that.

However, there’s a marketing lesson in all this. That is, consumers are prepared to pay more than once for essentially the same product, provided there’s some “added value”.

In the case of movie “Special Editions”, rabid fans of a particular movie seem to have an almost insatiable appetite for “more”.  Case in point, the movie “Blade Runner”.  I think there’s already something like 7 different versions of this classic movie around.  This year there’s a new “Anniversary” edition coming out.  And yes, I’ll be getting it even though I already have a version in my library.

So, if you have a successful product that clients like, see if you can come up with a “Special Edition”.  I’d suggest you offer existing clients a great deal if they already have the original version.  Remember, client goodwill is the most important asset of your business.

Quick apology.  In the previous post I promised to reveal the second ”hidden” marketing lesson.  It’s going to have to wait until next time.

Until then…