considered. They step inside the photoplay theater to be entertained
with attractive films, though this is not to say that advertising
in connection with same is entirely out of place. Some theaters
run a performance through without a stop, while others, mostly the
nickeldromes, introduce an intermission during the change of each reel.
The former shows are continuous like the latter, so that the one
intermission is not intended to clear the house to make room for
another audience. In reality, it is to give the orchestra a rest and
allow time for other things, not the least important of which is the
projecting of a batch of slides. Some of these relate to forthcoming
attractions of the theater, and the remainder comprise advertisements
for live local traders.
Audiences appreciate these slides when they do not number too many, as
they are the means of affording them something to turn their attention
to instead of having nothing to do but idly gaze around the hall.
Motion pictures appeal to the eyes, consequently spectators pay much
more attention to slides which contain clever illustrations, preferably
humorous, backed up with apt sentences.
On the market are stock slides from thirty-five cents and up. Space is
left for your name and address, and most of the needs of your trade are
taken care of. New designs are constantly being put out, which make it
possible to change slides as often as once weekly. We all grow tired of
seeing the same thing over too many times, so if you fail to introduce
fresh pictorial announcements you are liable to lose the respect of
spectators. Once a week is an ideal interval, but in no case should it
exceed a month.
There are really no standard rates for slide advertising. Each
exhibitor has his own ideas in regard to the value of the location and
size of his theater.
The one great pull the photoplay theater has over other publicity
mediums is that you obtain one hundred per cent. of attention, for
folks, in the darkened hall, must concentrate upon the screen.
XXXV.
SELECTING THE THEATER FOR YOUR AD. SLIDE
The other half of the battle of slide advertising is selecting the most
suitable theater. If you are situated in a residential section, and you
decide upon a downtown theater for your announcement, you are paying
for scattered circulation.
The exhibitor also rates the advertising value of his house at a
much higher figure, and, as you draw the bulk of your trade from the
surrounding blocks, it is advisable to pick out a local photoplay
theater.
Motion-picture theaters may be grouped into two divisions. One is the
nickeldrome which has been converted from an empty store, and seldom
accompanies more than five hundred. It usually shows the oldest films
and caters for a cheap patronage. This class of show is on the decline.
Although the motion-picture theater is a democratic institution, the
well-to-do working classes prefer to patronize the classy building
which has been exclusively erected for motion-picture entertainments.
It is not because they refuse to associate with their poor brothers
and sisters; quality is the deciding factor. For five or ten cents
more they see a longer and better program, amid more comfortable
surroundings.
So far, so good; the rest depends on the managerial policy. The best
way to discover this is to visit a desirable theater as an ordinary
patron. If you note your trade is already represented on the screen,
then the theater is unavailable for the time being.
This may strike you as peculiar, since no newspaper grants a monopoly
in one particular trade, but it is the custom in slide advertising. The
healthiness of a newspaper may be judged by the volume of advertising
it carries, but, in so far as the photoplay is concerned, the fewer the
slides the better. Time is precious, and, if the exhibitor is to give
each advertiser the service he pays for, he can only do so when the
slides do not exceed one dozen. When the number is more, the operator
usually whips each off before spectators are able to read it.
After you have satisfied yourself on all these things, you can take
the matter up with the exhibitor. You may frown upon a six months’
contract, but the rental, which will vary from $5 to $10 per month,
according to size and location of theater, will work out more cheaply
than on the weekly basis. It will also afford you protection in that
your competitor can not put one over. Another thing, the public may
only give your first slides the once over, but the constant seeing of
your name will go right home.
The slide manufacturers find that there is so much correspondence
involved in executing orders of less than one dollar that they prefer
they be given to the exhibitor, who orders slides in quantities.
XXXVI.
HANDLING THE ANTI-AD. SLIDE EXHIBITOR
Have you ever had legitimate advertising turned down by a newspaper?
I don’t suppose this rare experience has fallen to your lot, so it is
perhaps as well if I acquaint you with the conditions that exist in the
motion-picture theater advertising field.
The motion picture has not reached maturity, and consequently some
branches of the industry are not so far advanced as others. In the
former category comes slide advertising.
There are some exhibitors who throw up their hands at the very mention
of slide advertising, yet the strange part about it is that they
themselves can not get along without this excellent form of publicity.
They run a bunch of slides on the screen pertaining to current
attractions and house announcements. These occupy the screen for five
minutes or more, and are repeated at every performance for fully one
week.
It is not necessary to advertise productions so far in advance, and
this would allow “foreign” advertising to have a look in, but this type
of exhibitor generally refuses to listen to reason. And the worse still
is the fact that he knows he has the upper hand of you.
Let me assume that you are located in a neighborhood section, which is
catered for by one photoplay theater. There may be another in the next
section, but, however desirable this theater, it will not produce so
much business, for it is a trait of Americans not to walk further than
is necessary.
If the exhibitor on your block favors slide advertising, the rest
is easy, but if he is opposed to it, it is up to you to assume a
resourceful attitude.
The chances are that this exhibitor issues a house organ of some sort,
for which he is prepared to accept advertising from desirable local
stores. Here, then, is your opportunity. If you have ever glanced over
a slide catalogue, you will agree with me that slides, when reproduced
in black and white, make dandy press advertisements.
Many dealers who believe in attractive slide announcements undo all
their good work by following same up by stereotyped ads. in the theater
house organ. It is, of course, a great advantage to have the former
already prepared by expert advertising men, so the stock slide in the
latter capacity would seem to leave little to be desired.
Contract for, say, three inches of space weekly, with weekly change of
copy, for which purpose a suitable stock slide should be selected.
Your slide manufacturer will willingly grant you permission to have
cuts made of his slides and reproduce them, if you give him the credit.
Your ad. will stand out prominently from the rest, and readers will
admire its all-round excellence.
The question now arises as to what use you are to make of the slide.
If there is another theater within easy walking distance, it would do
no harm to arrange for a weekly change of slides. Between the two, you
should hit the mark.
XXXVII.
HAVING YOUR MOVIE AD. SLIDES SHOWN TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE
Watching motion-picture screens is my hobby, and, incidentally, my
business. Four times a week do I combine business with pleasure, and it
is these on-the-spot investigations that have given me good grounds for
asserting that the average exhibitor does not appreciate the fact that
there is an art in showing your slides to the best possible advantage.
He seems to imagine that they can be thrown in any slipshod way, so
long as he can claim to have shown them according to arrangement.
He does not realize that he is under an obligation to you, represented
on his theater screen by paid advertising. Were the local paper you
favor to print your ad. full of typographical errors and badly blend
the type faces, or place your ad. in the most inconspicuous portion of
the paper, you would, naturally, be offended and be likely to transfer
your advertising account to the rival publication. This is why I
advise you and your friends to frequent the theater that carries your
advertising and see if you are getting value for your money.
At a certain motion-picture theater in Brooklyn about thirty slides are
shown at the end of every performance. You have only got to look at the
faces of the spectators to realize the resentment caused by the bad
practice. That number of slides at one time is entirely too many. The
exhibitor of this type is attempting to cram the stuff down the necks
of his patrons, whereas he should accomplish it in an unforced manner.
The latter is easily gotten over by showing only several slides at the
end of each reel. They are thus spread out and have a far greater
chance of sinking in, because picture-play-goers are not called upon
to memorize a lot at one gulp, so to speak. In this way the patience
of patrons is not overtaxed. The exhibitor can never tell, when he
puts over his all-at-a-time slide stunt, whether or not he is sending
spectators away to his competitor a few blocks up the street. I have
personally known exhibitors who have been unable to account for the
falling off of attendance, yet the whole root of the trouble was the
slide dodge.
It is typically American to shirk telling openly anything that
displeases, so that offended patron says nothing and is never seen
inside the theater again. This rebounds on you, for these offended
folks become your mortal enemy and lay the blame on the ads. themselves.
Even at those halls that follow the commendable methods outlined,
spectators often see the entire performance through without witnessing
all the slides. The mistake made by the exhibitor in this case is to
project one of his own slides first to tell what the next photoplay
will be. This serves to reveal to patrons that they have seen the reels
over once, so they rise and leave the show right then. Instead, why not
tell your exhibitor to hold back this condemning slide until the last,
in order to have the audience sit out the others? Besides, the one
advantage of this form of advertising is that there is no competition
in commanding attention simultaneously. Each slide is projected
separately, and it is advisable, if only for the reason stated, to run
only a few at a time instead of the whole bunch.
As the provider of this extra revenue for the movie showman, it is up
to you to see adequate treatment for your investment.
XXXVIII.
THE IDEAL SLIDE FOLLOW-UP MEDIUM
To obtain the greatest possible results from slide advertising, there
must be an effective follow-up scheme. You may have gotten the hunch
that as you change your slide frequently it is quite sufficient.
As a matter of fact, only half of the battle is won, for the slide is
not sufficiently elastic to perform everything demanded of it. At the
motion-picture theater your slide is probably one of a dozen, and it
is well-nigh impossible for a spectator to retain a vivid recollection
of them all. You have got to remind him, and, incidentally, present
the direct appeal. That means your advertisement being presented in a
permanent form. It may occur to you at first to use the columns of the
best local newspaper, and, while this has its good points, it falls
short of the type of follow-up medium needed for slide publicity.
A newspaper, as a rule, covers the town like a blanket, but the
neighborhood photoplay theater draws the majority of its patrons from
the surrounding blocks. So, if you wish to obtain 100 per cent. value
from your investment, it is up to you to employ the house organ gotten
out by the exhibitor. This publication gets into the hands of all
patrons of the theater regularly every week, and the fans study it from
cover to cover when they reach home.
The grave mistake some dealers make at this stage is to forsake the
slide for the house organ. It may be an economical plan on the surface,
but, believe me, it is penny wise and pound foolish in the long run.
The slide serves to get acquainted with your prospects, who can
not possibly ignore it in the darkened hall, so you secure their
attention, while the printed page might escape their notice.
I have frequently remarked upon the attractiveness of the stock slide,
and this time I am going to contrast it with the stereotyped business
card.
This is a snappy slide recently used by a Brooklyn dyer and cleaner:
“Don’t Get ‘Held Up’ for Inferior Cleaning and Pressing. Try Us for
Expert Work at Fair Prices.” In the left-hand corner was a sketch of a
New York tough pointing his revolver at a terrified meek man.
The follow-up advertisement in the theater house organ was as follows:
“Suits Pressed, 25c. Sponged and Pressed, 35c. Cleaned and Sponged,
50c. Dry Cleaned, $1.00. Pants Sponged and Pressed, 10c. Also Ladies’
Work.”
It was as easy as kiss your hand to be entertaining in the first
instance, because the slide was one of the stock kind. This fact,
however, does not excuse the advertiser from putting some real thought
behind his announcements, for, otherwise, the interest of the reader
fizzles like a damp firework.
XXXIX.
ATTRACTING FARMERS TO TOWN
If you are a country town merchant, you are at the mercy of the
weather, and trade suffers accordingly. The farmer is a good customer,
and you must offer some inducement if he is to be persuaded to make his
customary trip to town when the weather is bad.
Practically everybody likes motion pictures, and the farmer is probably
as keen a fan as his city cousin, only circumstances preventing him
from attending so often.
I know of a merchant down in Harrisonville, Missouri, who got wise to
the fact and presented his farm customers with free motion-picture
theater tickets. He now finds that the weather makes not a particle of
difference.
How, then, can you make certain of doing good business every Saturday,
rain or shine? I would suggest that you try out the self-same stunt.
In the first place, the local motion-picture exhibitor, being a
business man, is always on the warpath for opportunities for increasing
his patronage, so, if you approached him on the subject of selling
admission tickets at a reduced price, he would undoubtedly come to
terms with you.
It might be well that you ask him to put on mostly rural pictures. This
may seem like carrying coal to Newcastle, but it has been proven that
rural folks much prefer farming subjects.
This settled, mail two complimentary tickets, with a letter about the
character of the program, to your farmer customers sufficiently in
advance to be used, and mark them good for only the Saturday matinees.
XL.
CAPITALIZING POPULAR SCREEN PLAYERS IN SLIDE ADVERTISING
The national advertiser often links up his products with that of a
popular photoplayer by christening a branded article after the actor.
Failing this, he secures a testimonial, for which privilege he pays
handsomely. The reason is obvious, for the stars are worshiped by
countless thousands all over the country, in smallest village and
largest city, and, naturally, the use of a name means a big boost for
the article advertised. You see, the fans do not see their idols in
the flesh, which causes them to evince unusual interest in anything to
which the player’s name is attached.
Perhaps motion-picture audiences have been spoilt through the
ever-changing flow of new productions, as this demand for something
new has had a marked effect upon slide advertising. The dealer never
hesitates to try out something original.
The value of an article linked up with a photoplayer increases
a thousand-fold when advertised in the photoplay theater, and
consequently the slide on which mention is made of a screen favorite
will attract more attention than the slides you are at present using.
I am not going to suggest that you apply to the fountain-head, so that
you may follow in the footsteps of the national advertiser. In the
first place, it is out of the question, for the photoplayer, unlike his
legitimate brother, does not travel from town to town. Now and then,
it is true, he does tour certain motion-picture theaters, but these
occasions are not sufficiently frequent for you to wait for one to
occur in your town.
I have a method in mind which will cost you nothing additional outside
of the slide. This is just a rough draft of the wording:
“We Know of a Girl Who Tried to Manufacture Dimples Because She Envied
Lillian Walker’s.
“As Miss Walker is Famous for Her Dimples, so Are We for Our Candy.”
At the side of the slide you should have your slide manufacturer
reproduce a photograph of this popular Vitagraph player.
This item about Miss Walker, you will note, implies no recommendation
from her, so the same can not possibly be misconstrued. Here follows
the original paragraph, as submitted by Lillian Walker’s press agent:
“Don’t you dare attempt to manufacture dimples; they are a monopolized
product, and Lillian Walker has the motion-picture field all to
herself. The other day the popular Vitagraph player received a letter
from a girl admirer, who, desiring a beauty dent on each cheek, endured
great pain, but all to no avail.”
The press agents in the motion-picture field are so prolific that
seldom a week goes by without one appearing which may be adapted to
your business.
If you adopt the photoplayer slide, it is imperative for you to change
the slide frequently, not only because spectators dislike to see the
same thing over again, but because each fan has his or her favorite,
and by constantly changing the players you eventually cover them all,
and thus please each and every patron.
If your local newspaper runs a motion-picture department, study it
thoroughly for possible material. If it does not, one of the many
motion-picture publications will admirably serve the purpose. As the
items are news, there is no copyright.
XLI.
ATTRACTING TRADE WITH PHOTOPLAY STARS
Both the legitimate and vaudeville professions have their followings,
but neither can even slightly approach the huge and widespread
popularity enjoyed by the motion picture. A conservative estimate
places the number of fans in this country at twenty millions, which
number support the twenty thousand photoplay theaters.
The personal element counts big in this industry, and the leading
photoplayers come foremost in the affections of the fans. There are
more than two hundred well-known motion-picture players appearing
before the camera to-day, and each movie patron has his or her
favorite. And this is just where the enterprising storekeeper can
pounce upon this opportunity for all it is worth, which is a good deal.
If in view of what has gone before, you are still skeptical that an
amusement can not be mixed with publicity, I have only to cite the
method adopted by a trader in Los Angeles. He gave over his window
display to photographs of famous film players and arranged them in an
artistic manner. His window happened to face the sidewalk, and the
pictures created so much attention that the sidewalk was congested.
Two policemen, to cope with the situation, had to have the crowd line
up and only allow each spectator three minutes in which to view the
photographs. All day long the line extended over a block, the windows
arousing the same amount of interest during the subsequent days of the
exhibition.
It might hardly be a sound business policy to display only photographs
in your store window to the total exclusion of your ordinary wares,
for the underlying idea to get passers-by to view the goods set out in
the window and act as a sort of temptation to buy. I would therefore
propose that the photographs be mounted on boards at the back of your
window, so as to allow the window to be dressed in the ordinary way.
This should achieve the desired object satisfactorily.
You will find, on approaching the motion-picture producing companies,
that they will only be too willing to give or loan you photographs of
their stock players. The local exhibitor will supply their addresses.
Another dandy plan, if you are in the custom of offering premiums, is
to present each person making a purchase of a certain small amount with
a post-card of a popular screen player. You can purchase these for $3
per thousand and have the selection you prefer, for you will naturally
require more of Mary Pickford and Charles Chaplin than players of
lesser renown.
I am not acquainted with any instances where retailers have adopted the
preceding plan, but if same can bring full houses on dull nights to
motion-picture theaters that distribute such pictures to spectators,
then it is a positive thing that it will help along your slack days.
Popularity contests are all in the fashion to-day, and it is possible
for every town to arouse the patriotism of the fans by permitting them
to vote for their favorite player, presenting, perhaps, the one heading
the poll with a suitable souvenir on behalf of the town. This stunt, of
course, must be worked in co-operation with the near-by motion-picture
theater.
It can be arranged that each patron on entering receives a voting
blank, which he is to fill up and return to the girl in the pay-box.
The exhibitor should announce on a slide that the standing of the
contestants will be announced each day in the window of your store.
You will secure, for practically no expense at all, plenty of
publicity, resulting in increased business.
XLII.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ERRORS IN PHOTOPLAYS
Every now and then a motion-picture producer comes a cropper. With the
speeded-up production methods at present prevailing, he can seldom
give adequate attention to the little things that count. It matters
little whether the play is historical or modern--it is almost certain
to contain at least one error of some kind. Now, photoplay fans pride
themselves upon their smartness in detecting these silly slips, and
therefore an added stimulant would please them greatly.
In addition to your ordinary slide at the local movie theater, why not
have same preceded with one worded somewhat as follows:
“If You Find a Mistake Pertaining to the Dry-goods Business in a
Photoplay Screened at This Theater, We Will Present You with 25 Cents’
Worth of Goods Free”?
The first thing is to determine as to what constitutes an error. In one
photoplay a daughter ran away from home and returned to the family fold
five years later with the same dress on her back.
Almost as bad was another picture in which the chief character, an old
gardener, began his day’s work with an old overall. At the end of the
day he blossomed forth in a new garment.
Mistakes are quite as prevalent in Western dramas. Imagine, then, as I
did, seeing an Indian girl wearing silk hosiery.
There are much worse mistakes in historical films. You will remember
that “Jane Eyre,” Charlotte Bronte’s famous novel, was set in the early
part of the nineteenth century, but the heroine in the photoplay
version was up to the minute in fashions.
It is quite likely that more than one spectator will detect the same
error, in which case it will prove too costly a stunt, so it is
advisable to limit same to the first four persons who report the error.
As the average motion-picture theater changes its program daily, it
will be hard to verify the mistakes, which may not prove to be such. To
guard yourself against the unscrupulous, it is well for you or somebody
you can trust to see each program. Failing this, stipulate that
spectators report the error to the exhibitor immediately after seeing
the picture.