Exhibitors Herald (Oct-Dec 1920)

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164 EXHIBITORS HERALD December 25, 1920 "Exploitation the All-Important Thing/9 Says United Artists Advertising Director By CHARLES E. MOYER Advertising and Publicity Director of United Artists Corporation THE all-important thing in building theatre patronage — that patronage that is permanent and profitable — is exploitation, exploitation that gains and maintains the complete confidence of the whole people of your community; clean, honest, justifiable exploitation in your lobby, your theatre, your newspaper advertising :>nd publicity. No definite rules can be set for country-wide exploitation. One can only suggest on a picture the things that he, himself, would wish given him were he in the exhibitor's place. Every zone, every city, every region has its own specific problems. The exhibitor alone knows them, and the only proper aid that can be given an exhibitor is by a method of co-operation between the man who endeavors to suggest exploitation after he has been properly advised of such specific problems. Exploitation covers everything. Primarily, it is your salesman. It comprises all and every method by which you, your company, your theatre is established with your public. It should always reflect your real and true character. HONEST, truthful exploitation is prerequisite. If you seek to put before your public advertising or publicity statemints which are not facts — that is not only bad business morale — it is bad advertising, publicity and exploitation. Time was when you were considered a good salesman if you could sell anything, but times have changed. There has come into being so many millions of people who can't be fooled, and who will only buy their amusements at the theatre backed by the man and the management that is square. The "one-born-every-minute" man is primarily responsible today for publicity and exploitation being classed as "bunk." This is to be lamented. And we must live it down. Only by going after patron confidence with real, lasting, result-getting exploitation, that has its foundation on a rock-bed of actual facts and truth can this be accomplished. "Bunk" leads to bankruptcy — honest exploitation to success. First of all, never sell a poor picture to your patrons. It will prove to be your most expensive experiment. You are simply flimrlamming the people who should be your friends — the patrons who pay for your product without the opportunity of examining the goods. You are selling them something they do not want; and in doing so you naturally tell them in your exploitation something entirely different from what it really is. You are absolutely wrong in doing this, even though you do it cleverl>. Over-statements, exaggerations, superlatives, are all business-breakers — not business-makers. A theatre built on exploitation lies will last about as long as the proverbial house built on the sand. * * * THE only exploitation that is worth while — the only publicity that will bring you lasting profits — the only advertising that bespeaks success is that founded on absolute truth. Any other is unsound and with it you cannot last. Truth cuts both ways — and an exhibitor must adopt an exploitation policy that will not wrongfully reflect on his theatre reputation. First of all — put your house in order. See that you are doing everything in your theatre along the best and most improved methods — everything may not be as you would most. like it to be for there may be a multitude of things you could desire — but be sure that your theatre is the very best you yourself can make it. Work as hard as you know how to make it so. Then tell the people about it. The amusement seeking people are in telligent. Mark that. They are intelligent people. And the exhibitors have done wonders to make them so. Intelligent people will not submit to having anything put over on them. Always remember, you can only "get away with it." Again, the amusement seeking people are eminently fair, if only they know the true facts. Sometimes they are a bit slow in arriving at a decision, but in the long run, if an exhibitor proves through his exploitation that he is telling them the truth in everything he says about his theatre and his productions to get them to his playhouse, he can always be assured a true representation from his community for the type of product he presents. * » * THE fundamental purpose underlying any policy of exploitation is to induce the people to believe in the sincerity and honestv of your organization — your theatre. When you gain the complete confidence of the whole people of your town, fifty per cent of your troubles are over. Exploitation in its ultimate sense means the actual relationship of our theatre to the people — and that relationship involves far more than saying — it • involves doing. Therefore, don't simply say something, do it. Render the best possible service. It doesn't cost money to be courteous. It doesn't cost you a cent to insist upon having your ticket seller smile and say "thank you" when they take your patrons' money, even before they sec your product. It doesn't cost money to have a clean theatre, clean attaches, clean everything. It doesn't cost money to give serious and thorough attention to complaints. It doesn't cost money to present a genial, well-met personal attitude towards your patrons. "Meet them with a smile and send them away happy" is always a good adage to remember. It doesn't cost money to cooperate with your merchants in exploiting big productions. It doesn't cost money to call on your newspaper friends ever so often and have a personal chat with them — when they are not too busy. It doesn't cost money to be human. * * * IF people feel that your real spirit is one of the worth-while kind — instead of beine head-boiled, harsh, indifferent, or irresponsive to their desires and wishes, thev will help you on to bigger success. It is a real blunder for a theatreman to assume an attitude of complacency and satisfaction with the conditions as they exist. The public likes live-wires and congeniality. Don't let your public take everything for granted. Constantly tell them about it Keep everlastingly after them. It is absolutely impossible to tell it to enough people by word of mouth— so tell it in printer's ink. Run policy advertisements about your theatre regularly— tell them the truth about your establishment in an interesting and attractive way. Make them want to come to your house because it is beautiful, because it is comfortable, because it is the amusement center of their community and because you do present the best productions obtainable. Always be natural. Always be human. Always speak in their language. No line form of advertising, exploitation or_, publicity can be decided upon as THE * » * HERE is the best rule to keep in mind when you arc planning exploitation: WILL IT BRING THE PEOPLE TO MY THEATRE? I say to the theatre. After they get there, your house attractiveness should bring them inside. First of all get them to the theatre. To better prove this idea, allow me to choose what is considered the best exploitation idea of the past year. It was a contest idea and not much different than the average contest except in that it brought people directly to the theatre, after which they went inside and the box office record of the theatre was smashed. J. F. Clancy, manager of the Poli theatre at Hartford, Conn., pulled it. Here is what he did. • He was to play Mary Pickford in "Pollyanna" during a school holiday week, and his best bet was to interest school children. "Pollyanna" lended itself wonderfully for the purpose. He had drawn up a picture of Miss Pickford in the character she played in the production, printed it on a piece of paper with rules and regulations for the contest, giving three prizes of $25, $15 and $10 for the first three numbers, usual conditions governing. He secured the permission of the school board to hold the contest among the school children in school rooms whera they taught drawing. The child who could draw the best Mary Pickford "Pollyanna" sketch was to get the prize. However, every school teacher chose the five best from her particular room. The principal of the school building chose the ten best from those the teachers had picked and then a committee of citizens picked the three best from the choice of the school principals. * * * BUT that's where most contests end. Not so with Clancv's. He had everv teacher from every school room send all the drawings to his office and he had them mounted on separate cards for his lobby display. And this is what it did. Every child that had drawn a sketch was so anxious to have their mother and father, sister and brother, aunt and uncle «*>e how much better -she could draw than Mary. Ellen or Jane. Tom. Dick or Harry, that the displav in the Poli lobby was a sensation the whole week. That's the best kjtid of exploitation. The l-;nd that brings them directly to the th»>->tre. ,' The other features of, the. contest which brought with it a certain amount of valuable publicity are aside from fhe value of "bringing them to the theatre." Keep that in mind always and you'll never go wrong.