Exhibitors Herald (Apr-Jun 1922)

54 K XHIBITORS HERALD April 15. 1922 THEATRE EDITOR, Exhibitors Herald. Dear Sir: It has been some time since I have written you. Your correspondent in Kansas City calls upon me regularly and occasionally I give him some ads, but newspaper stuff doesn't seem to be very important nowadays in the eyes of producers and many exhibitors. However, I specialize in newspaper advertising because I have always felt that a newspaper serves the field better than any possible medium that an exhibitor can secure. I have always been able to go into the newspaper with a straightforward message and get results. Therefore I use printer's ink rather than ballyhoos. In the course of the past few months I have had many calls for ads and copy from neighboring exhibitors, and a number of them have subscribed to Kansas City papers in order to get Liberty and Doric ads. This gave me an idea and "The "The Place To Park Your Caret" \ J I ' /// Idea" enclosed herewith is the result. If you think this book is valuable to exhibitors and would aid them in newspaper advertising and if you can conveniently do so I would . appreciate a criticism in your columns. Very sincerelv yours. H. E. JAMEYSON, Liberty and Doric theatres, Kansas Citv, Mo. DEAR MR. JAMEYSON: Your letter and "The Idea" arrived during the brief interval that divides the completion of one issue of this paper and the beginning of preparation for the next, and the staff took the book to lunch. There it was digested with gusto and made the subject of general discussion. There was no division of opinion, although there was some question as to who should become possessor of your sample copy. The substance of this mass criticism may be summed up in the popular tradeism, "It's a knockout." An exhibitor who dropped in that afternoon agreed entirely and laid down the volume with apparent regret. There have been similar booklets published in other fields, but yours is easily the best compendium of theatre advertising material that we have seen. Every one of its thirty-two pages contains something of We may hold the deeds to the (theatre). We may stand around with our thumbs in our vest acting important Our title may be "The Boss" — but when it comes right down to brass tacks, you're the boss! We're just working for you. We want tj do just what you want us to do. Above all things wc want you to be satisfied with us. We want you to call this theatre, "my theatre." You may not carry the keys — hut you do carry a "big stick" we're afraid of — it's your opinion — wc hope it's good. r*HAIR comfort, infrequently considered but vital factor in audience satisfaction, is the point driven home by the light and breezy style of this reproduction from the pages of "The Idea " DEADY-MADE propaganda copy with illustration, suitable for use by any exhibitor, reproduced from "The Idea," prepared by Howard E. Jameyson, exhibitor, for theatre advertisers everywhere. genuine worth to the man who makes up layouts and orders type set-ups. And the whole reflects long and diligent effort and study. We've taken the liberty of reproducing two of your straight house advertisements herewith. They're both good stuff, we think, and we think most showmen will pronounce your whole booklet of the same classification. Thanks for letting us look over the book. . hid don't let it be such a long "some time" before you write again. — W. R. W. THEATRE EDITOR, Exhibitors Herald. Dear Sir : Thanks for the bold face display on the St Paul Daily News "Theatrically Speaking" full page. It looked like a good story to me and you certainly hopped to it. You did so well by the writer that he is coming right' back with another one, as big in its way as the full page, for the reason that it pounds and pounds for ten days. Enclosed is one of a series of ten small ads that the same newspaper is donating to the theatres of St'. Paul. The writer prepared the copy and Einkelstein and Ruben paid for the cuts, although all of the Air.imidl Srn«» N.. Entertainment to Suit Every Mood That You May Have Somewhere in St. Paul tonight is the very entertainment that you want. Find the molion picture or ihcatcr urogram that most appeals to you by consulting The St. Paul Daily News amusement page. The advertisements qu this page list the finest that is to be found in the way of divertissement on the local Rialto. St. Paul's Best Theaters Advertise in The St. Paul Daily News Daily REPRODUCTION of a two column display, one of a series, used by the "St. Paul Daily News" in the interests of the theatres of that city. B. C. Ferriss* letter, herewith, gives interesting details. theatres in the city benefit from the ads the same as they did on the full page, which, by the way. put a few gray hairs on the writer's head before he finally submitted his copy. The copy enclosed will give showmen an idea of the thought carried throughout the series of ten ads. They comprise a campaign of publicity on "Go to Theatres" and sure do come in handy at' this time of the year. With kindest regards. B. C. FERRISS. St. Paul theatres of Finkelstein and Ruben. * DEAR MR. FERRISS: Without a doubt the ten small ads are as good as the full page, especially since the page has opened the way for them and trained people to read straight theatre copy. In our opinion the whole enterprise is first class theatre, if you know what we mean. There should be more of it. It is this type of copy, fresh and away from the rut, permanent in appeal and effect, that seems to us to merit greatest encouragement at this time. While zve d not advocate "letting down" on straigh picture copy under any circumstances, w see no possible reason for not capitalizing also the distinctly institutional appeal o the theatre itself. It has been our observa tion that "Let's go to a shozi'" precedes reference to the amusement calendar more frequently than the reverse is the case. Obviously, advertising tending to bring forth that suggestion more frequently titan in the past is good advertising for ezrry body. In this connection zee zi'ould like to call your attention to tlie series of adzrrtisc ments for theatre use which zvas started in "Newspiictures" last week and is continued in the present issue. We suggest that you leaf back to that page and read the second of the series. Newspietures have not been properly advertised, possibly not properly understood, heretofore, and it is with the purpose of p*romoting the popularity of thi important and dependable program facto that this series is introduced. Wc believe you will find it advantagcou to devote at least one of your ten adver tisements to that subject. Should yo agree with us and do so we would bt pleased to have you let us knozv of the results you experience, — W. R. W.