One way people will continue favor buying DVDs over online is through creative packaging. You can’t get that from any online movie store download and it’s another reason I feel strongly that online movies should be priced lower.

Check out the Limited Edition of My Name is Earl ($41.99 USD) a Best Buy exclusive complete with Flannel shirt packaging. No, really, serious. I’ve seen Wal-mart do exclusive DVD packaging several times and they are the biggest seller of DVDs. Collector’s love this kind of stuff. Also, Earl was probably our family’s favorite TV show last year. This year we’ll have to either watch/buy it online or wait for the DVD before next season.

Earl deluxe DVD set contents
- 4 disc one-sided DVD set with all 24 Season One episodes, no flippers, oh yeah!
- unique flannel t-shirt
- Karma is a funny thing blooper reel
- Behind the scenes featurette
- Exclusive Earl misadventure: Bad Karma
- Bonus Best Buy disc with three songs: “Everybody Talkin’” by Matthew Sweet, “Instant Karma” by John Hiatt and “What goes around comes around” by Nescobar-alop-lop and the Camden Country Band

My wife spotted the leather jacket 25th anniversary special edition of Grease. We already own Grease but passed on the abysmal sequel, but my wife was all over this special collector’s edition with the unique packaging and it was priced right at Costco for $12.49 USD.

Grease Rockin’ Rydell Edition contents
- Rydell Sing-along. Rock with your favorite Grease songs. Relax karaoke fans, that’s not exactly what this is, it has the movie parts along with the music and words along the bottom so one could sing along. No thanks for me on this one.
- 11 deleted/extended/alternate scenes
- DVD Launch party with a collection of memorable moments from the 25th Anniversary DVD launch party
- Grease memories from John Travolta and Olivia Newton John
- The moves behind the music
- Thunder Roadsters

I checked the following online movie services and neither Grease or Earl was available at any of these places: Guba, Amazon Unboxed, Movieflix, Cinemanow. Didn’t bother checking iTunes since that’s only Disney and Grease is a Paramount property. iTunes has some NBC TV shows available but not Earl yet.

Online movie sites don’t have to be lame and just offer the movie download, they could do some creative stuff like offer special websites and interactive games and trivia.

Have you seen some other really creative DVD packaging or online movie download promotions?

• More creative DVD packaging
• Using exclusive Rock Band songs to sell magazines and more
• An interactive Indiana Jones movie game in Blu-ray? Maybe
• Blu-ray movie disc format to be in Playstation 3
• 12/12/07 Last day to get $10.99 a CD at Borders (limit 3)
• DualDisc CD format starting to appear in stores