Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1919)

EXHIBITORS HERALD Frolic Lobby Presents New Powerful Tie-Up Lobby frames intimately associate the magazine represented and the picture exploited by the new method used at the Frolic theatre, San Francisco, Calif. it appeared in that periodical, were the only points advanced. It was left to the intelligence of the reader to form the conclusion that the play must be aecidedly worth seeing. Exhibitors everywhere can very easily adopt the idea. It is a comparatively simple expedient, yet it accomplishes a very important mission. It should be adopted. And it should be developed, as all suggestions which are adopted are developed, to a high state of perfection. The "tie-up", by which Americanism it has become customary to refer to any advertising measure of cooperative nature, is the chief subject of advertising men's conversation and thought today. Everybody is trying to think of "a new one to pull." And when an innovation is staged it is seized upon with avidity and copied forthwith. That is the treatment that should be accorded the present suggestion. The Frolic theatre, San Francisco, cooperating with the Universal exchange in that city, recently utilzed three lobby frames and a deal of ingenuity to excellent effect in tieing up with the Cosmopolitan Magazine and Fannie Hurst, novelist. The occasion was the engagement of "The Petal on the Current," a Universal production starring Mary MacLaren. The accompanying reproduction of the photograph taken of the Frolic lobby shows clearly the steps taken and the result obtained. The frame on the left carried the title of the picture, with five pages from the magazine in which the story of the play originally appeared. The middle frame gave simply the name of the producing company. The third was constructed to represent a Cosmopolitan cover witli Mary MacLaren's picture as the cover design. No unnecessary wording was included. No extensive attempt was made to convince the reader that this was the greatest picture Universal, Mary MacLaren or anybody else had ever made. The fact that the story was by Fannie Hurst, a Cosmopolitan writer, and that America Display Style Gets Full Space Value That "there are more ways than one to kill a cat" is, by reason of countless repetitions of the statement, a pretty well established fact. And there are more ways than one to get value out of space bought for advertising purposes. A score or more of different methods have been given due prominence in these columns. Here's another. The America theatre, Denver, Colo., buys space in substantial lots and gets full value out of every advertisement used. A method that is at once simple and effective brings about this very desirable end. The display here reproduced measured four columns wide in the original. The reduced reproduction may make reading somewhat more difficult, but the general make-up of the original is preserved intact. By putting the copy in the white space in the middle of the mat illustration the advertiser has succeeded in forcing the eye to grasp the rather comprehensive pictorially descriptive matter before the copy is reached. A sort of preparation is thus provided which insures a clearer grasping of copy state 8fi ments when the copy is read. The psychology of such an arrangement is good. The picture of the play's atmosphere, which is really what the illustration consists of, imparts to the beholder a general idea of the type of production under consideration. This greatly diminishes the work to be done by the copy. All that remains to be done is to instill in the mind of the reader a desire to see the play, and that desire is half formed before the copy begins its task. In another America advertisement which was reproduced in these columns some weeks ago, an advertisement for "The Westerners," something very similar to this arrangement was used. But in the present instance the striking power of the display has been heightened by the addition of an action still at the top. It is an improvement. The style is good. It can be adopted. It should be adopted. Use girl ushers. Since the war, and because of conditions prevailing during its progress, there is a decided popular distaste for men in menial occupations. Boys, of course, are out of the question. Girls are naturally polite. Ushers should be polite. Girls are good to look upon. A gangling youth, and in greater degree, mature men, are particularly unbeautiful in uniform. Ushers are advertisements. Use the best. Btliev* You Me! It's Strictly Confidential!" SH! LISTEN, GIRLS!! STRICTLY Confidential^ MADGE KENNEDY » COwn'ver's Finest Thea+rer • . Aherica C^Jways Worth While A four-column display showing the working out of the display policy characteristic of America theatre (Denver) advertising. See article for details.