On Saturday, March 5, Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant will give away 500,000 DVDs of the new film 'The American'. This action is set up to promote a new section in the daily newspaper. The added magazine 'V' stands for more culture, media and modern life and will be found in the heart of the newspaper from March 5 onwards.

The thriller, by Dutch photographer and director Anton Corbijn features George Clooney and local hero Thekla Reuten and recently reached the No. 1 position in U.S. cinemas. ‘The American’ has been available on DVD and Blu-ray in The Netherlands since January 11. The retail version of the DVD contains many extra’s and additional footage, so it is also interesting to monitor whether consumers feel this version has enough added value to buy it, as there is a free copy available that only contains the movie.

De Persgroep, the concern of which de Volkskrant is a part, is experimenting widely with giving away things for free to draw attention to their products. On January 15 of this year, they gave away the album 'Sundays in New York’ by Trijntje Oosterhuis with the newspaper AD. This action generated a lot of media attention, both for the newspaper and the artist. Interestingly, the Oosterhuis album was distributed exclusively in AD and is scheduled for an official record release on March 11.

Source: De Volkskrant