Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

June 2 7, 1931 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 63 THE ANSWERS TO A TIMELY QUESTION! Fox Advertising Chief Points Out Six Good Reasons! The executives of Fox Theatres Corporation and Fox West Coast Theatres believe that in such theatres as can afford it the best medium for advertising attractions is the daily newspaper. It is the belief of these executives that the exigencies of the business make the daily newspaper the one ideal medium and for the following six reasons : 1. Frequently the theatres must make quick changes in programs. These can always be advertised in newspaper columns. 2. The newspaper columns also permit the best use of decorative advertising which is so essential to the advertising of our theatres. 3. Increased or decreased space is always available in newspaper columns. 4. Newspaper advertisements can be changed or corrected with greater dispatch, minimum cost and greatest convenience. 5. Except in rare cases, theatrical advertisements in the newspapers do not ■ have to compete with non-theatrical copy. 6. Newspaper advertisements can be digested at the convenience of the reader. It will be noted that no other medium can claim all six of these assets. In houses which cannot afford newspaper advertising we set store first by the trailers shown on the screen. Next in importance Gabe S. Yorke When he started out he was a history teacher at Columbia University. Then he wrote humorous articles for Don Marquis on the old "Sun." Newspaper work in this country and London, then press agent for the Government of Yucatan, in which job he had to commute between the wilds of Mexico and an office in New York. Shortly after (believe it or not), he became a full' fledged sugar broker. Bringing this sketch a little more up-todate, we find him in 1926 as press agent for Fox Films handling such b. o. hits as "What Price Glory," "Seventh Heaven" and other outstanding road shows. After several years in charge of the "specials" he was appointed director of advertising for the Fox Theatre Chain in the East when Harry Arthur and his regime took over the reins. After organizing this department along the lines he felt would function to the best interests of the circuit, he left for the West Coast to reorganize the same department. At this writing he is still there and from all indications will remain on the Coast for some time. Outside of the key cities, few theatre managers knew him. But it did not require much time, after he headed the Fox Advertising Department, for his name to become known from coast to coast by reason of the many radical innovations which he installed in the workings of the advertising end of this circuit. A man of keen vision and the ability to accomplish what he starts out to do, Gabe Yorke is one of the leaders in the theatre advertising field. comes the mailing list and following that outdoor advertising of various kinds. In the case of deluxe houses we frequently see all of these mediums used but with the bulk of the advertising appropriations spent in newspapers. We feel that 10% of the average gross of a theatre is the maximum which should be spent on advertising and exploiting and we feel that the idea set-up in the deluxe theatres is 7% for newspapers and 3% for everything else. Included in the 10% we After Careful Study This Circuit Favors Newspapers! figure all accessories, lobby displays, salaries for the publicity department, art work, cuts, trailers and stunts. In certain localities where for one reason or another a theatre should have newspaper advertising but cannot afford it, groups of our houses have clubbed together to produce tabloid newsoapers of their own and this idea has worked out very well. Although we put trailers second in importance we feel that they have their limitations. In the first place they are read only by those whom we have already enticed into the theatre and do not give us coverage for those who do not have the habit of attending. We also feel that in many instances the manner in which trailers "sell" pictures is not always the best and we have had instances in which our managers complained that certain trailers drove away business. This, however, is something which will ultimately be rectified. The two Fox Circuits do not put any premium on bizarre stunts. The executives feel that the best exploitation of this kind is that which on its merits breaks into the news columns of the dailies. Very often exploitation of this kind is harmful, especially when it involves tie-ups with things that are not of the essence of the theatre, and we have tried to adhere to the rule that where arrangements are made ~ for tie-ups with merchants the resultant displays should be in the merchants' windows and not in our lobbies. Ralph Cokain (Marion, Ind.) Gives the Smaller City Slant On Newspaper Advertising For Theatres In this day of critical theatregoers, the best form of advertising is through the columns of the local newspapers. To many exhibitors, this will seem rather ridiculous, in view of the fact that the newspaper has been the standard form of theatre advertising for a long time. Yet unlike other forms, it has remained throughout the years because of its dependability. Right now we are passing through a depression that is slowly showing signs of improvement; but we must not fool ourselves too soon. The problem of getting, patrons into the theatre is not the same as it was ten years ago. At that time we lured them in with big street ballyhoos, or anything to create a desire within them to see the show. The public knew very little about the movies then and for that reason it was easy to draw them in. Today, conditions are different. Times are hard, and a picture must be exceptionally good if it is to attract crowds. The public is not so easily fooled by big ballyhoo nowadays, and they know better than to expect every picture to be as "colossal" and "magnificent" as we would have them believe. Good, consistent newspaper advertising will reach more people and will keep your theatre before their eyes more than any other form of advertising. The whole family reads the paper, and they generally digest everything that's in it. Whether you think so or not, they read the theatre advertisements. Recently I wondered if there could be any doubt as to whether or not our ads were read. I hit on an idea and carried it through. It was this : Our smallest house, showing westerns and second run all-talking pictures, was at time a silent theatre. I always used small four or five inch ads in the paper every day ; the theatre did not demand larger ones, and it would have been a waste of money to use more space. As an attraction one day the theatre had Bob Custer in a western thriller whose title I have forgotten already. There was a Bob Custer in our town, so when I wrote the ad, I put in small letters beneath the star's name, "Not the Marion Boy." I was kidded thoroughly about that the very next morning by dozens of different people. It undoubtedly sounds silly to the reader, but it proved to me that the public does read the smaller ads. By adhering strongly to newspaper advertising, I do not infer that ballyhoos and outdoor advertising are entirely taboo ; they are not. But considering the fact that the exhibitor must be careful to spend his money where it will do the most good, I believe there is little question but that the newspaper is the only sensible form of advertising. When times are hard and every penny counts, it isn't possible to go out and arrange big ballyhoos : besides the expense would be greater than the good derived from it. Such advertising has become "old stuff" with the public ; in most cases it has been trotted out in front of them so often that now they pay little or no attention to it. On the other hand, they will continue to read the newspaper until someone comes along and finds a better way of putting the news before them. Window displays and good lobby displays are good forms of advertising, but the best of all is the newspaper. I believe most advertising managers and publicity directors will agree with me on this point. WHITBECK (Continued) every day . . . for publicity space, for their assistance and co-operation in building good will for your theatre and for yourself. Many managers in many different cities — powerful, important managers in great centers of population, as well as the small theatre manager in small communities — have been led into disagreements with newspapers and I never knew one of them to win the argument ... no matter if right was on the side of the manager. The public believes "what they see in the paper." They will_ believe your advertising campaigns, your publicity, your news stories ... if you play square . . . deal honestly and truthful. Without a newspaper the smallest crossroads settlement lives in darkness and ignorance . . . the theatre goes into bankruptcy. Be a friend to your newspaper ... not a servile, favorbegging nuisance — but a business associate, a believer in the power of newspaper advertising . . . a friend to the editorial, business and mechanical staffs and . . . play as fair with your newspaper friends as you do with your ticketbuying public.