Business screen magazine (1938)

FILM FORUM A DEPARTMENT OF LETTERS EDITED BY & FOR THE READERS OF BUSINESS SCREEN POINTS DISTRIBUTION NEED Editor of Business Screen: In 1935 and 1936 -we engaged in a moving picture activity in our dealers' showrooms, rented halls, etc. as a purely advertising venture. Surveys of the effectiveness of the program showed that the influence of the moving picture on the prospective purchaser was extremely high but that the coverage we secured was very low. The net result was that the bad offset the good to an extent that it was impractical to spend further monies to secure larger audiences. More recently, moving pictures have been used in our business as a medium of sales education. In this respect I can say that nothing has proved more effective. While the cost has been high we have been amply repaid for the expenditures. In reply to your question as to my opinion on the needs and future aims of the commercial film business. I can only say that the biggest obstacle to be overcome is to get coverage at a cost that is somewhere reasonable. This — of course — does not preclude the need for good scripts, good direction and a good cast . . , all of which are essential to a successful production. Yours very truly, G. R. Browder Assistant General Sales Manager Oldsmobile Division. Gen. Motors Our editorial thanks to Mr. Browder for his frank reply to this editorial solicitation for prepublicalion comment. It is such letters as this which help much to shape our future editorial course. CANADIAN INDUSTRIES LTD. WRITES Editor of Business Screen : I was greatly interested lo receive your letter this morning as it happened to coincide with a meeting we held yesterday to discuss the subject of institutional merchandising and educational films. We have in the past prepared several silent films for some of our Divisions, but, like so many industrial shorts, they have been unsatisfactory in many respects and their content has restricted their circulation. Irrespective of what we may do with movies, the Publicity Bureau is at present building a series of glass and film slide lectures which will be used in schools and before clubs. Yours very truly, Canadian Industries Limited C. P. C. Dowhman Publicity Manager Business Screen hopes that its content material may in some measure guide the film destinies of Canadian Industries, Ltd. Welcome, indeed, will be comment after a reading of the first issue. DICTAPHONE'S ADVERTISING MANAGER: Editor of Business Screen : Enclosed is a small booklet which describes briefly the story of the Dictaphone talking motion picture "Two Salesmen in Search of an Order," As it indicates, it is a lesson in salesmanship that speaks for itself. In developing the picture, we endeavored to provide an entertaining yet informative story which would describe some of the many advantages of the Dictaphone System. Care was taken to avoid too much direct sales propaganda. With that in mind, the picture was written around the universally interesting subject "Salesmanship." In "Two Salesmen in Search of an Order" we depict both the good selling technique and the bad. During the course of this general treatment, many features of the Dictaphone System, not fully appreciated by the general public, were emphasized as part of the selling technique. The picture has been in use for about a year and a half. It has been shown before many important groups throughout the country. The picture is used for two purposes — one is to train our own sales staff in the proper technique of selling Dictaphones, and the other is to interest and educate the public in the conveniences of the Dictaphone System. It is shown before civic and business groups, sales clubs, and before many large sales organizations. In addition, many private showings have been arranged in local oflBces of prospects. We have had very good results from our use of this talking motion picture, not only in the widespread interest it has created in our equipment but also in a number of sales which can be credited directly to the picture itself. Yours very truly, R. T. Harris Advertising Manager. Dictaphone Sales Corporation The subject of the full-length article in an early issue, Dictaphone's experiences with the film medium are well summarized in this courteous reply to our prepublication query. Business Screen joins the business men who have profited from Dictaphone's fine sales picture in thanking Mr. Harris. NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY: Editor of Business Screen: We enclose herewith a copy of the May-June issue of our "N.B.C. Magazine". On pages 6 and 7 you will find a short story about "Romance on Main Street". Since that lime the results have been equally gratifying. Several months ago we used a sound slide film entitled "What Makes a Good Cracker Good?" This was exhibited to our salesmen and was well-received. Yours trulv, 'S. N. HoUiday. NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY, Advertising Department Newspaper clipping files of the magazine are generously filled with items noting the wide popularity of N.B.C.'s Romance on Main Street, now in its second year of successful showing. A review of Winners With Wheat, latest in the N.B.C. film family appears on page 37 of this issue. FROM CATERPILLAR TRACTOR: Editor of Business Screen: We are pleased to attach an article dealing with the use of motion pictures. To go with this we are including some photographs that might be useful for illustration purposes. It is a great pleasure to supply this material, and if we can be of further service in future issues of your interesting publication please say the word. CATERPILLAR TRACTOR CO. Very cordially yours, P. C. Smith Advertising Department A full-length feature article on the Motion Picture Department at Caterpillar is thus reposing in our files. Knowing that our readers will appreciate sharing the experiences of this great manufacturer. Business Screen will bring it to them in an early issue. For the careful preparation and generous cooperation exhibited by Caterpillar's correspondent, we are indeed grateful. In return, it is our sincere hope that the pages of this book may repay a service in bringing the valuable experience of others to Caterpillar. FROM ELI LILLY & CO: Editor of Business Screen: Mr. Clark has referred to this department your letter asking our views on the use of motion pictures in business. We were pioneers in making motion pictures of our business ^ that is, in this industry — and we were also pioneers in bringing out what we believed to be the first sound picture produced in the pharmaceutical industry. We have no contact with the layman. Our films are shown before drug audiences and medical groups and so we are unable to give you the reaction that might be expected from lay audiences. We hope that when Mr. Clark has had an opportunity to look at "Business Screen" he will send it to us because we will be interested in looking it over. ELI LILLY AND COMPANY Very truly yours, H. S. Noel Director Trade Relations Here is a field as yet little discussed and yet possessing vast opportunities for the film medium. Medical films are, of course, widely used, but the extent of potentialities among lay audiences awaits Business Screen's first thorough survey of the field. DENNISON MFG. COMPANY: Editor of Business Screen: We are adding your name to our mailing list so that you will receive our house organ "What Next?" regularly. We have no recent film production in which you would be interested, although we are now working on one which might possibly furnish some material for your magazine when it is finished. 1 shall look forward to seeing the first issue of "Business Screen" as soon as it is issued. Yours very truly, DENNISON MANUFACTURING CO. W. J. Walker Advertising Department When Dennison is ready to release news of its latest film-in-production. Business Screen hopes to tell about it. WOOL ASSN. WRITES: Editor of Business Screen : Thank you for giving us information about your publication. We have considerable piomotional data as well as photographs from both our films "The Seven Wonders of Wool" and "Suitability Sells Suits", both of these being department store training films. We also have considerable data in the way of comments from leading department stores. If you will advise me just how many photographs you can use, and whether you wish to run the first article on our initial film "The Seven Wonders of Wool", or to cover both of them, we shall be very glad to furnish you with the necessary data. For your information almost 60.000 people have viewed our "Seven Wonders of Wool" film, llie bulk of these being in department stores. We are enclosing for your information a copy of the Leader's Guides on each of these films, together with one of the small follow-up hooks that is distributed lo the individual after they have viewed the film. As the supply of these books is rather lew at the moment, we would ask that you hold these for further notation when you write your story. Very truly yours. Mrs. Minna Hall Carothers, Director, Dept. of Retail Sales Promotion ASSOCIATED WOOL INDUSTRIES. INC. A complete section on the use of slide films and motion pictures in the department store field is a feature of this first issue. The section is not a "onetime" affair but the beginning of a determined effort to aid department store executives. In this issue. Business Screen has scheduled some of the material supplied by the Wool Association and (Continued on Page 9)