Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

74 Motion Picture News October 11. 193,0 MANACF RJ' rcCLND TABLE CLUB WHAT IS EXPLOITATION? TOM OLSEN Says: EXPLOITATION, as Daniel Webster has it, means to get the value or usefulness out of something. Transcribed to the showman's glossary it refers to anything and everything that can be done, whether oral or written, to sell a product to the public. Under the heading of exploitation there comes every known means of bringing the public to the box office. Heading the list is newspaper advertising, followed by lobby displays, screen advertising, publicity material for theatre, house-to-house and mailing list distribution, outdoor advertising, newspaper contests, theatre contests, merchant tie-ups, ballyhoos and co-operative stunts. While on the subject of definitions it is interesting to note that much-used word "ballyhoo" is not listed in any of Webster's works. at least as late as the 1929 unabridged volume. However, we of the theatre business take liberties — we're funny that way. The word "ballyhoo" would seem to take in stunts removed from or in front of a theatre that by their unusual nature in movement or sound attract people to the product being sold. To make this a bit clearer, such items as sidewalk and street perambulators, a barker in front of a theatre, would come under the heading of ballyhoo. While ballyhoo is important, it is often given more weight than it justly deserves, because of lack of clear definition. However, when a manager or exploitation man is told to go out and ballyhoo a picture to the limit, the instructions, strictly interpreted, would merely scratch the surface of a thoroughly planned exploitation campaign. Definitions, at a glance to a showman, may appear superfluous. What we are all concerned with is packing our theatre to the doors. But in any business, it is always well to have a definitely planned chart of the duties clearly impressed upon the mind. Therefore, this humble treatise. E. EMERLING Says: WHEN is a press agent not a press agent ? When he's an exploiteer — and other times that we won't mention. Exploitation covers a multitude of sins — and sinners. Actors cry for it — producers demand it and with present day competition — managers and their P. A.'s get it ! Perhaps all present day theatrical publicity can be grouped under the head of Exploitation, however the idea is not strictly theatrical in scope. Department-stores and other commercial advertisers have seen the value of publicity that is "different." The ever increasing momentum of the business world has made necessary some form of advertising that will carry the producers' and retailers' message to the public not only by the medium of the printed sheet, but from divers other angles. Barnum has justly been accredited with being the granddaddy of the theatrical publicity and exploitation of the past century— yet it has remained for the managers and publicists of the new school to attract the attention of tile entire commercial world to theatrical methods of advertising. Many managers of the old school who have graduated into the new era are their own "worst enemies." The methods we must resort to today were not necessary twenty or thirty years ago. The legitimate theatre was in its hey-day and the movies in their swaddling clothes. Theater-going was confined to the few traveling attractions, and We continue the series this week by passing along the viewpoints of Tom Olsen of Fox Washington Theatre (D. C), Ernest Emerling, publicity department of Loew's, Inc., Frank Boucher, Hagerstown District Manager for Warner Bros., and Larry Cowen, publicity director of the Schwartz-Century Circuit of N, Y. Other interesting and valuable opinions are still to come in future installments of the series. Don't miss a single one. the intermittent visits of Broadway stars of the day. The advent of the motion picture — a new sort of entertainment that was to revolutionize the entire amusement world, absorbed the players, the executives and almost the very soul of the legitimate stage. Hundreds found themselves in a new world as unlike their previous environment as day is like unto night. Many adjusted themselves to the new conditions keeping pace with the progress of this new craft. Others plodded along living in the memories of the past, stubborn against the enroachments of the present. They were not sold on the movies and in the long run — on themselves. Exploitation was idiotic — unnecessary and a gross waste of effort! When we glance through the newspapers of the country, through the publicity reports of various organizations and on nearly any "Main Street" of the land, we feel how mistaken they have been. Any activity that is unworthy will burn out of its own accord if left alone — still the past two years have seen the greatest effort in all theatrical history along publicity lines. We'll agree that there's good exploitation and bad. Some exploitation IS a waste of money but we believe that when striking an average — real exploitation is not found wanting. The old adage "There's nothing new under the sun" can apply to exploitation as well as everything else. If you dig below the surface of the most original stunt you'll find a likeness of some other fellow's stunt, and so on — far back into the dim past. We expect any day to find someone using Barnum's "brick" stunt in progress along Broadway — and If Barnum were alive he'd probably tell us he got the idea from the crowds watching a bricklayer at work. Many managers attribute their reluctance to copying good stunts that are used in other cities to their desire to do something "original." In this attitude their doing both themselves and their company a great injustice — for a "Raffles" hunt is just as good in Texarkana as in Tuscaloosa ! Of course, if you're a good "copy cat" you can doctor the other fellow's stunt up so that he won't recognize it — and it'll look great on the old weekly report ! FRANK BOUCHER Says: EXPLOITATION and ballyhoo are the bane of a theatre manager's existence. High officials in Theatre operation tell us that we over-exploit. That the people are tired of stunts, freak advertising, etc. Yet it must be done. There is not a picture that can be sold without exploitation. Some pictures register with the patron from the time they are first shown. But one of our questions is, How Much More Would It have Done, Had it been properly exploited ? I for one am strongly in favor of exploitation and ballyhoo. The proper type of such exploitation however must be picked for each type of picture. Every picture produced lends itself to a certain form of advertising. If a picture is properly studied by the Theatre manager, and sometimes screened by him in advance of his playdate, he can ofttimes get a better idea as to what can be done and how. Study your title, your star and the type of story and sit down and sketch up a campaign that is suitable for it. It can be done systematically and economically. It merely takes a little foresight, a little imagination and a little work. But remember every picture can be exploited without harming the theatre or future pictures. A litle judgment must be used in the selection of the campaign to be used. Get your bookings in advance — get your press books far enough ahead to study them, so that they can be merged with your own ideas. The combination is an excellent one— that of the press book and some of your own ideas. But always remember the people expect such things of our business — and it can be done on all pictures, in all towns. The principal thing is to know how. This can be ascertained by studying your town, your theatre and the picture. LARRY COWEN Says: AS per Webster, Exploitation defined, means ^ "To make use of for ones own Profit." It seems very easy to understand. For instance, we, of the show business, must develop interest in what we sell, and do it quickly. Campbell can sell his beans any day, we book a picture, play it a week, and poof— we are through with it forever. In explaining the meaning of exploitation, it is easier to give an example showing the results. Here you are : Not long ago a picture was booked. Buddy Rogers in "Safety in Numbers." We had the star to sell, we had to create interest in the title, and by so doing as per Webster "Make use of for our own Profit." As the title had to do with numbers — we tied up a well known Numerologist, to appear on the mezzanine of the theatres playing the picture, exploiting the fact with copy "Safety in Numbers" and "Safety through Numbers" by visiting our House playing the feature, seeing Miss Williams the Numerologist, they to receive Free, an analysis, of themselves. So we received free exploitation — through the fact that the Numerologist gave her services free to us, for such advertising as the Star and picture gave to her. In other words we exploited her — she exploited us. "We made use of for our own profit," for we certainly were successful, had the theatre full of folks who came not once but several times. Without this extra push, that we call exploitation, many would not have come to the theatre, they may have a house nearer their home, who in time would receive the picture, but not the numerologist Because this was news the papers gave it a push, and several wrote up the act, and others even went so far, as to send reporters, to find out what it was all about and to cap it all. the numerologist received an autographed picture of Buddy Rogers. That is my idea of Exploitation — GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING THAT WILL HELP MAKE A PROFIT FOR YOU, AND TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT. Remember advertising is what you pav for— i:\PLOITATION is what you get for nothing — and it beats advertising every time.