I'm working on a business report in sales and rentals of original VCDs. How do I convince more people to buy original VCDs, besides telling them the good quality? Do you have more suggetions in making it more interesting in terms of price and promotion? What else can I tell the customers? Shall I open their minds about the differences in original VCDs and pirated VCDs? The demographics are the people are mostly attracted to pirated VCDs because of prompt availability. Money is not a problem but they are traditional type of customers, still preferring to videotapes and stuffs.

-- valarie liau (valarieliau@hotmail.com), February 23, 2001

Answers

The only reasons that I would ever rent or purchase a VCD over a DVD would be if:

a) Considerably cheeper than a DVD of the same title. b) A rare title not found on DVD (i.e.; Episodes of "The Prisioner"!!!) c) Not pirated (not that I'm all that Holy, but PAYING for pirated material? "It's just not right".)

At my local Video rental outlet, VHS and DVD rentals cost the same. It would be silly to bring home the VHS version. Same for VCD if available, though I would rent VCD over VHS.

I have to admit that I've never purchased VCD (though I've seen some that were brought back from Malaysia). I would not be very comfortable purchasing from an outlet that had that "boiler room" feel. If I was to spend the "big bucks" on a VCD purchase, I'd like to feel that the operation was legit. I would like to feel that my purchase was going to make it to my door.

-- me (snake_mountain@hotmail.com), February 26, 2001.