Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1941)

. . . OF MEN AND THINGS By JACK NARROWER WARNERS' ALERT AD ORGANIZATION Recently we reported that Warner Brothers had some elaborate plans under way for more intensified advertising and exploitation of pictures in the coming season, under the direction of S. Charles Einfeld. In pursuance of these plans, Mort Blumenstock, in charge of advertising and publicity for Warners in the East, called in all the field men for a series of home office conferences on the new product. The object was to explore new avenues and methods of merchandising the product under changed conditions brought about by the consent decree. * * * The men who joined in the conferences will testify that never has there been a more concerted and intelligent effort made to step up the revenue-producing potentialities of pictures. The Warner organizations, both selling and advertising, are co-ordinating their efforts more closely than ever. Sales chiefs sit in on advertising palavers, and vice versa. Every man, in whatever division he may happen to be, home office, theatre or field, is made to realize that picture-selling has entered a new era. Under present conditions, there can be no hit or miss methods. There are definite formulas for selling films through a variety of channels, yet no picture selling must be allowed to fall into a formularized handling. Every picture presents new angles and possibilities. The thought is that there is an established formula that can be put to work, adapted to the current need. * * * Besides Einfeld and Blumenstock, the executives addressing the meetings included Gradwell L. Sears, general sales manager; Joseph Bernhard, vice-president and general manager of Warner Theatres; and Frank Seltzer, head of the roadshow department who has been in Washington setting up the local opening of "Sergeant York" in two houses. Among the field men at the conferences were Sam Clark and Martin Weiser from Los Angeles; Monroe Rubinger and Jack Yergin from Chicago; Bill Lewis from Dallas; Bill Brumberg from Washington; Jack Goldsmith from x^tlanta; Glen Ireton from Toronto, and Phil Engel of the New England district. « One of the main points of the discussion was the matter of new services and greater cooperation with exhibitors with a view to promoting longer runs and more single-featuring of pictures that shape up as a great buy for the public all by themselves. This, by the way, is a subject that is going to be delved into systematically, for it is a matter of strong conviction on the part of the Warner sales and advertising chiefs that too much potential box-office revenue is being allowed to slip away through shortchanging the biggies with an abbreviated run, or hooking them in a double setup with a picture that detracts from the pulling power they would exert if standing alone. There has been too much justified complaint from patrons that the fine impression made by an outstanding picture has been marred by their reactions to the other less worthy feature on the dual bill. Serving ham with a filet mignon certainly does not add to the enjoyment of the latter. Until some exhibitors begin to realize this, and have the guts to go out and "single" the big ones, and educate their patrons to a realization that this singling is the tipoff that here is something extra special, these exhibs are just kicking away a potential source of added revenue — and a raft of pleased customers. Regardless of the consent decree, the new Warner lineup will have plenty of topnotch attractions that need no support from a second feature to draw in the customers, Blumenstock claims. He cites such attractions as "Sergeant York," "The Man Who Came to Dinner," "The Maltese Falcon," "The Com Is Green," and many other best-sellers and Broadway hits. Particular attention is to be given to the type of picture that has merit but requires keen merchandising to put these merits across to the public. Too often, as Blumenstock pointed out, the public doesn't get to know about these fine pictures until after they have ended their runs. Word of mouth advertising is too slow. It is necessary to find quicker ways of acquainting people with all the entertainment angles of a picture in order to draw the biggest potential audience in the shortest possible time. For instance, the eastern ad chief said, a picture may have angles of appeal for eight or ten different types of people, but the average exhibitor exploits it along lines that attract only four or five types. That means that he loses out on about half of the potential audience. * * * A lot of exhibitors also miss with meritorious pictures because they require selling. Just why any exhibitor should be scared by a picture that must be sold is a mystery. As Carl Leserman, the Warner assistant sales manager, has well said: "Every article, from bread to diamonds, must be sold to the public." There are a bunch of programs on the radio alone devoted to selling bread — an article so essential that it would seem to require little selling. And what about the columns of newspaper and magazine space devoted to advertising bread and other necessities? Hence the equal necessity for selling entertainment to the public. Every picture has its own special points of appeal, many of them unnoticed by the average person no matter how obvious they may seem to the producer, distributor or exhibitor. * * * Then there are the surprise pictures — the "sleepers." A current example is "Underground," the Warner anti-Nazi film. Test engagements, employing some of the new methods to be adopted generally next season, have shown this attraction to be capable of drawing thousands of fans who ordinarily are not interested in this type of picture. For one thing, the unusual woman's angle was played up strong. Then the defense angle brought a pleasing surprise with the manner in which newspaper editors grasped the timely warning contained in the picture. It was topical stuff that they could use. An effort is being made by the Warners to develop what might be termed a "working circle." The distributor endeavors to inject enthusiasm and cooperative effort into the exhibitors. This is done through their field men as well as the point-of-sale advertising via the trade papers. The trade papers and field men together can pep up the exhibitors, who in turn commimicate their enthusiasm to the moviegoers. It is felt that if all these forces function intelligently, a definite step-up in the box-office revenues generally must result. A recent survey at the New York Strand showed that newspaper ads and reviews were responsible for 65'/( of movie attendance. Here is a great argument for more intensive advertising, more informative advertising. That goes for advertsing to exhibs as well as to the public. JULY 2 6, 1 9 4 1 21