With each new decade comes a hot new communications tool that sweeps the market and becomes the "must have" device to communicate, advertise, train, and sell. We saw this with the VHS video tape in the 80's, the CD Rom in the 90's, and now, in the 10's its no doubt, the DVD.

DVD is taking the industry by storm because it has so many advantages over VHS and CD formats. For example, VHS has deplorable picture and sound quality, it is bulky to store and ship, it has no interactive capability, and it cannot be viewed on a PC or laptop. Not to mention the complexity of the cassette and the player mechanisms are prone to wear, break and jam.

CD Rom is more reliable than VHS, has improved image quality, offers interactivity, and requires less storage space than the bulky VHS. CD Rom however is limited in its data storage capacity, it can only be viewed on a PC or laptop, it does not allow for a high resolution full screen, full motion video, and because it requires a specific browser to view it, and there are thirty different browser platforms, it may not be compatible with all computers.

DVD on the other hand, has a massive data storage capacity of 4.7 to 9 gigabytes, compared to the CD's 650 megabytes. A DVD presentation can be viewed in full screen, full motion video and sound in perfect digital quality. It is very durable, light and easy to ship and store, and it is the only medium that can be viewed on a TV set with a DVD player, or on a DVD equipped computer or laptop. And because there is a single licensed DVD programing language, it can be viewed on virtually every home or computer system.

This cutting-edge selling tool combines the full sensory impact of TV, with the extensive product demonstration and long format capability of an infomercial, with the interactivity and selective content viewing options of a web site, with the clutter busting ability of a video brochure, and the laser precision target-ability of direct mail.

Nothing compares or comes close to the potential results and impact of this remarkable sales tool. This will prove to be the most beneficial tool in your marketing arsenal.


DVD has the ability to offer a complete interactive brochure, a perfect product demonstration every time, and a fearless closing tool all in one. It's the future of advertising-here today.

Like any exciting new technology, the whiz-bang of the technology itself does not sell anything, except maybe the use of the technology. We learned this valuable lesson from the initial euphoria over the Internet. The Internet we found, does not sell anything, unless the time proven rules and principals of advertising and direct response marketing are adhered to.

A DVD therefore, can only be a phenomenal marketing tool when properly created using expert scripting that informs, motivates, and sells- combined with effective presentation skills, captivating narration, believable supporting data, enticing effects and graphics, faultless production, the highest quality digital photography, and distributed to identifiable prospects with the laser precision of direct mail, or through other appropriate means.

A DVD can be used as an effective training tool, for extensive product demonstrations, as an electronic interactive brochure, in place of a direct mail video, as a corporate communications tool for stockholders, investors, or for new product launches. It can be used as a trade show demonstration tool, and as a hand-out. It can be used as a customer acquisition or as a customer retention tool. Or as an interactive portfolio, or catalog. There is almost no end to the uses and applications for this dynamic and exciting marketing tool.

DVD is the preferred format by Hollywood producers for its perfect digital picture and sound quality alone. According to Billboard Magazine, August 18, 2001, the rollout of DVD Video has proved to be the most successful of any new format in the history of consumer electronics, and software and hardware are evolving at an astonishing pace. At a time when CD and VHS sales are declining, DVD software and hardware sales continue to soar beyond industry projections.

Driven by low-cost DVD players and an affordable, high-quality product, DVD players have been adopted by nearly 20 million U.S. households since 1997. The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) predicts penetration will increase to 30 million by years's end. And if the current trend continues, that figure could double in 2002.

According to the Consumer Electronics Assn., the DVD player acceptance rate is three times faster than that for the VCR, which took 12 years to reach mass penetration, and the DVD acceptance rate is double that of CD players, which took eight years to reach critical mass.

The National Assn. Of Recording Merchandisers report that DVD players experienced 300% growth rate from 1999 to 2000.

Most movie directors disdain VHS and rarely help in marketing VHS releases, but DVD's superior picture and sound qualities have converted them.

Major video rental chains have already reduced their VHS inventory by 30-50%, and Best Buy reports that DVD accounts for 80% of its total video sales revenue. At Tower Video, DVD sales accounts for 65-70% of the chain's video revenue.

What most dealers and manufacturers don't know, is that beyond offering the perfect format for movies, a DVD can be the most powerful advertising and sales tools available. A DVD can be created and used as a dealership or product brochure, a product demonstration tool, a service department tour, a referral generation tool, an infomercial, a CSI and SSI tool, a perfect closing tool, etc. With the power and versatility of unlimited menus, the user can quickly and easily access whatever topic is of interest, and there is almost no end to the amount of video footage that can be stored on a DVD.

Because of its small size and light weight, a DVD can be easily used as a direct mail piece, or a hand-out.

Duane is available to conduct informative seminars on the following topics: