Play it again, Sam

Direct marketers know a good thing when they see it. V-Lite Video Corp. has won fans with its lightweight disposable videocassette, durable and cheap for direct-response mailings. Tapes made of styrofoam and plastic carry up to 20 minutes of material. Last year, Blockbuster Entertainment supported store openings in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Southern California with tapes that consumers could redeem in-store for T-shirts and movie rentals. V-Lite claims redemption rates hit 23.5 percent, and Blockbuster’s per-store revenues jumped 13 to 31 percent over stores opened with traditional direct-mail flyers.

V-Lite tapes weigh 1.8 to 2.12 ounces (depending on length of tape), and cost 57 cents to mail first class, vs. $1.70 for traditional videocassettes. The outer shell is sturdy enough to mail without a case and just a tear-off mailing label. Turnaround time for tape duplication (not including video production) and mailing is seven to 14 days. Since its July 1995 debut, marketers including General Motors, Procter & Gamble, and Hilton Hotels have used the tapes. More information: V-Lite Video Corp., Santa Monica, CA, 310-899-4800 or v-lite.com.