Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1941)

June 7. 1941 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 13 Make the Most of the Theatre s Anniversary YOU'LL be celebrating an anniversary one of these days, but the manner in which you celebrate it will determine the rise or fall m business during that period. By "gomg to town on exploitation, you can make the occasion a real business booster, and you 11 wm additional future patronage to boot. Since tried and proven stunts are more convincing than mere suggestions, permit us to acquaint you with a recent anniversary campaign staged by Manager Everett R. Erickson of the Rhodes Theatre, Chicago. Eight days of special events were planned as follows Saturday— Kiddie show, headed by a feature-length cartoon and including a feature comedy four cartoons and a serial. Sunday— Unveiling of four new movie star plaques in the lobby. (While we will_ give full details of Erickson's "Plaque Guessing Contest" later on, we also suggest that you select a number of star-head photos to be displayed in the lobby, giving the public a chance to guess the names of the stars you have chosen. At the unveiling, those who have guessed correctly or nearest correctly will be awarded prizes, it you already have star photos on display, arrange to substitute a few of them with more recent newcomers.) , Monday— Special program sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. Tuesday— Rhodes Community Club Night, with special events on the stage. Picks Anniversary Queen Wednesday— Contest on the stage to select the Queen of the Rhodes Third Anniversary Week— "Miss Rhodes of 1940." A local jeweler donated the prizes, first of which was a diamond ring, the second a diamond birthstone ring, and the'^third a birthstone ring. Thursday— Because the Rhodes anniversary happened to fall on Thanksgiving week, Erickson was fortunate enough m having the day available on which to thank patrons for their patronage. , j j Friday— Sweetheart Night— One hundred pounds of chocolate candy was promoted free and given to patrons with lucky slips passed out in advance. Saturday — Merchants' Crazy Auction Night — Seventy-five dollars' worth of gifts were promoted from merchants and auctioned from the stage. To advertise the week's events Manager Erickson (1) projected a trailer enumerating the events planned; (2) projected another trailer enumerating prizes and giving details for girls entering the "Miss Rhodes of 1940" contest; (3) placed an easel in the lobby two weeks in advance on the beauty contest and inviting girls to enter ; (4) made contest blanks available in the lobby and mailed them to all girls in the neighborhood; (5) promoted special stories and announcements in the South Side Neitfs and South Side Courier, with entry blanks on the beauty contest as well as the rules and list of prizes ; (6) made up a large flittered lobby easel used ten days in advance, which listed each day's activities on a separate card. But that wasn't all. We just took time out to get our breath. He also placed a red velvet board with flittered lettering above the lobby doors. Copy: "It's Coming Soon— and How! . . . Our Biggest Week of the Year . . . Our Anniversary Week !" Erickson contacted the editor of the South Side Courier and made arrangements for the paper to run a page-wide scare-head about the anniversary. A copy of the paper was rushed to Hollywood, where a picture was taken showing Ann Sheridan reading it. The picture was rushed back to Chicago and published in the following week's issue of the Courier. With the headline, "Even Hollywood Congratulates Us," a special easel in the lobby contained telegrams from stars extending congratulations to the theatre. To further advertise the four plaques, a "Plaque Guessing Contest" was held. Fifteen dollars in prizes were awarded to those coming close to guessing the names of stars whose new footprints were placed in the lobby, _ In his weekly program. Manager Erickson listed the attractions for the week, thanked the patrons for their patronage in the past and invited them to attend the Anniversary Party. During the week itself, the event was announced over the neighborhood radio station, and a large birthday cake in the lobby greeted incoming patrons. _ While different situations call for dilterent stunts, many of those planned and executed by Erickson can be adapted to your own needs. And, of course, you'll think of many other practical' suggestions to make your anniversary a never-to-be-forgotten event. We should indeed like to receive the details of your campaign, if and when you put it over. Urges Cooperative Campaign Need is For Institutional Advertising by Industry For the past several months I have been discussing with many people an idea which I believe will improve the gross of every theatre in America ten per cent or more at a cost of not more than one or two per cent. • • x^ The idea is simple— but it must be put over. Briefly it is this: A central advertising bureau to formulate institutional advertising campaigns to be used by every part of the industry at the same time. For instance: how many tickets could be sold if we concentrated for a month or so on selling relaxation? We could follow this with Vitamin E (entertainment) and hundreds of others that the brains we have in our publicity departments could give us. A few years ago the tobacco people saw that they needed a new market and what did they do: They all got together and sold women on smoking-and our industry obligingly cooperated by having our actresses smoke in scenes of countless photoplays. There wasn't a thing wrong with the campaign "Movies Are Your Best Entertainment," except that somebody saw a quick way to get their money back by tacking a contest onto the idea. The release dates of the contest pictures pushed the idea so fast that the campaign was half over before the exhibitors knew what it was all about and the public thought it was a gag. Sure, I know other mistakes were madeincluding the one of giving all our money to newspapers and leaving radio out-but those mistakes were a natural result of the speed and haste required because of release dates. Personally I am out of patience with the selfish "my company" attitude of the majority of our leaders. If you can, I would like you to show me one campaign put on by any con^pany that actually said, or meant, anything except "This Picture is 'Bigger and Better' than the ^^'I'may be wrong but it is my opinion that unless we get together to protect our mutual interest we are going to have trouble It has become increasingly evident that the public is getting tired of our same old line of cha^^^^^ and unless we change and work on a co-ordinated plan soon, we are going to pay, and pay dearly. ^^^^^ Legion Theatre Co., Inc. Mayfield, Kentucky