Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

5 SHOWMEN'STRADEREVIEW May 13, 1939 SELLING the (Sooiina SYSTEM SUMMER will soon be upon us and you'll want to be prepared. Without casting any slurs on Hollywood product, it can safely be said that many people attend the theatre in summer as much for the purpose of cooling off as to see the picture. Your cooling plant should therefore receive plenty of advertising attention. One stunt the writer pulled several years still stands out (our thumbs are under our armpits) as an example of subtle selling of the cooling plant. It came about in a peculiar way. A woman was prostrated from the heat in front of the theatre. The police brought her inside and the cool atmosphere helped to revive her. The newspapers got hold of the story (can't seem to remember how) and gave due prominence to the fact that the cool theatre revived the prostrated lady. Next day, the newspapers were informed that many others had entered the theatre seeking relief from the heat. It so happens that when a reporter is assigned to write a weather story, unless he's unusually clever, he'll find it difficult to think of ideas. So we were able to provide a steady feature, giving a good round figure daily as the number of people who sought relief in the theatre. The newspaper even sent a photographer around to picture the crowds buying tickets at the opening and although we didn't like it so much interviewed several people who admitted that their sole reason for attending the show was to cool off. Well, there's an idea. The daily attendance figures will make news during a hot^ spell. "Hundreds rush to theatre to cool off", will be the headline and that should ensure some swell publicity for you. But here we've gone and wasted many good line^ to tell you of just one idea on W««iii''iouiHau,,/i»'i'iflirtf|,|,|iiiJ''''iitr,,||u[il''''iy/u,,,i,i)ii'''iii,ii(|j|ju^ ,i;ll'''iiiii(iiii(H*'''iiiii(iJiUi"''"i«ii( Jlll'"Uj(imili'"'ii (Ijii''''''"'hjiii"''''""/jiiiiii"'i Banners for the Front Banners like those above slwitld be Iinny around your marquee and front. They should be in cool colors like dark blue on sea green or dark blue on zvhite. Those illustrated above ■ivere made by the Hollyzvood Advertising Co. of Nezv York. They're made to order to fit your marquee and are sold by the foot. how to sell the cooling plant. Of course, there are as many ways of selling the cooling plant as there are of selling a picture. Banners and burgees outside are always good. If you had some last year, well_ and good, if you kept them. If you haven't or didn't, be sure you get banners to display on your front. It is an essential in selling the fact that your house is cool. Your ads should by all means carry a slug about the cooling plant. Call it airconditioning, refrigerating or anything you like, but get into your ads somewhere a mention of the fact that your theatre is cool. Many managers have swung away from the polar bear and iceberg stuff, but there are plenty of other ways to sell a cooling plant. A few years ago, "Cool as an ocean breeze" and "cool as a mountain stream" with appropriate illustrations were used to sell the cooling plant. "20 degrees cooler inside" was another line frequently used. Health authorities in recent years have complained that it was decidedly unhealthy to stay in a temperature 20 degrees cooler than the street and then go out on the street ag:ain and subject oneself to all kinds of respiratory diseases. So that angle has been largely eliminated, although 3'ou'll still find it practised in many spots where the manager thinks it wiser to cater to the natural instinct of man, to seek a cool place when he's hot and forget the health authorities. Whatever angle you use, these suggestions can be adopted. If you have a great deal of respect for medical advice you can use a line like this: "scientifically and healthfully cooled". Take a look at how various other air conditioned spots in town are advertising their cooling systems. Although theatres pioneered in air conditioning, today, restaurants, railroad trains, department stores and many other establishments are offering this blessing. Some of the stunts used by them may give you an idea on how to sell your own cooling system (and how not to, also). Interview Health Commissioner As soon as the first hot spell comes, get an interview with the local health commissioner and have him give a story on the healthful aspects of air conditioning. Your newspaper will probably be interested in this for the subject is on everyone's tongue all through the summer. A cooperative ad can be easily worked with various air conditioned stores and restaurants. Heading it "How to Spend a Cool Day when the Temperature is 90", you can get ads from all the other air conditioned places in town and thus have a director}^ of cooled spots for your patrons. If you should have the only air conditioned place, the others will cooperate by suggesting that patrons can cool off in the theatre after their shopping. Want a novel stunt? Take a polar bear cub or some other animal like a seal who lives in northern climes and with the cooperation of the zoological director put him in the lobby with the explanation that the only place the animal was safe from heat was right there in your lobby. Tie Up With Equipment Mfr. The manufacturer of your cooling system should be glad to tie up with you. Ask him to send prospective customers for plants to your theatre to see how well the system works. A sign in the store occupied by the company would do the trick, too. Your local bus or street car system should be glad to allow you to put cards in the cars or buses because they realize that those who attend the theatre are added patrons for them too. See if you can't promote this idea. Another newspaper stunt that will get you plenty of publicity is to have a reporter take a tour of the theatre, especially the cooling plant. Have the whole system explained to him in detail, including how the air is distributed and changed and all about how you keep taking temperature readings, etc. Remember, you can point out to him that it isn't the heat but the humidity that makes the summer uncomfortable and that while the temperature in your theatre may be almost the same as outside that there is no humidity and that consequently it feels cooler. On the opposite page is a suggestion for a trailer that will help sell your cooling plant This is really a series of trailers. Special Ad Slugs For Summer Lester Pollock, manager of Loew's Rochester, Rochester, N. Y., has prepared some special ad slugs for summer use as soon as his cooling plant i~s in operation. Note that they all sell the cooling plant strongly and that each offers space for a double feature bill. Should you be playing single features, you can adapt these for your use by putting the feature on the left and the shorts in the right hand panel. These are small space ads, too.