Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1961)

K/iat tie Stuxmnm /tie T>oi*ty! 20th Promotes Tie-Ins At 5-Way Regional Seminars Plenty of pictures that are applicable to publically-consumed products would perform far better at the boxoffice if endowed with more carefully-planned, comprehensive merchandising tie-ins. That is the thinking at Twentieth-Fox, where stress is being placed on the full utilization of the nation's retail merchandising outlets in individual movie promotion. To achieve that end, the company is kicking off a nation-wide series of five-way regional seminars — involving representatives of exhibition, a Fox exploitation team, national manufacturers of toys and novelties, book publishers and local wholesalers and retailers. Noted Fox exploitation manager Adrian Awan: "Point-of-sale advertising has been minimized and oftentimes ignored in the over-all promotion campaigns for pictures, when it is an extremely valuable showmanship tool . . . It is 2()th's plan to stir up the national interest of the some 250,000 retailers in this vital form of cooperative selling." The meetings with theatre and the line of wholesale and retail personnel will be conducted in all of 20th's branch areas, with an eye toward more than just "scratching the surface" of merchandising. All of the firm's films that offer the possibility of a tie-in will be explored. First of the new stepped-up tie-ins will be a combined 20th-Rand-McNaIly presentation at the National Toy Fair, starting in March. Under the Rand-McNally aegis, 22 manufacturers of e\erything from books to balloons will be selling the image of "Misty", a CinemaScope, DeLuxe Color version of the horse story. Over 1,000 manufacturers, distributors and retailers of toys and novelties, gathered in New York for the convention, will be targets for the display. R-M also is issuing a full-color book, "Misty Makes a Movie", handsomely packaged for sales in theatres, book stores and supermarkets. In addition, 20th will screen the film for all the delegates, at which time the value of merchandising tie-ins will be further emphasized. Levine Hires Merchandiser Convinced that mechandising tie-ins are one of the most potent weapons in a film firm's sales arsenal, Embassy president Joseph E. Levine has hired Licensing Corporation of America to represent his company for deals with publishers and manufacturers on upcoming product. LCA will concentrate on a vast merchandising and marketing program for "The Thief of Baghdad", "Morgan the Pirate" and "The Wonders of Aladdin" — all to be released this year by M-G-M. The tie-in firm now is setting up an array of books, puzzles, dolls, toys, games, costumes and other specialty items. Lipton Warns Newspapers: 'We're Advertising Elsewhere' "Newspaper advertising executives who are taking their motion picture advertising for granted are apparently unaware how much of our industry's spending has already been diverted into other media. And from many indications, which I can personally vouchsafe, the trend continues to grow." That friendly, but frank, warning was the latest from the MPAA ad-pub directors to be delivered to the newspaper ad bosses by a top film company executive — Universal vice president David A. Lipton. And, in addressing the National Newspaper Advertising Executives Assoc. in San Francisco, he built a strong and convincing argument for an immediate reappraisal of filmland's status on the amusement page. Lipton pointed to ad rate discrimination and an apathy toward movie coverage on a local level as reasons for the search for other media: "How many other advertisers do you have who use space 365 days a year? What other advertising do you carry that is news and a service to the readers . . . ? Do you charge radio or television stations or the sponsors involved for listing their programming ? "Extensive study and experimentation is underway to determine the most effective use of TV and radio to sell motion pictures. We have the active support of both local radio and television advertising and promotion executives in this work. I venture to say that far fewer newspaper advertising executives are taking the same interest in maintaining and increasing movie advertising coverage than are your aggressive counterparts in these other media . . ." Lipton also stressed the increase in national magazine ads as a signal to the newspapers to keep in step with the changing times. Dinny the Drummer Shows Making Boxoffice Schine Dinny the Drummer, that cute little Schine Theatres promotional symbol, is being turned to good boxoffice advantage in a number of situations, reports the New York circuit's adpublicity department. Using the figure of a little boy beating a drum as a starter, numerous Schine houses have staged special shows featuring giveaways, contests and membership drives for Dinny the Drummer clubs. Phil Thorne handed out prizes at the Canandaigua Playhouse to kids with the right answers to cinema questions. At the Bath Theatre, in Babcock, Harold Lee had them flocking to a special show highlighted by three contests: balloon-blowing, cracker-eating and a candy bar quiz. "Ask yourselves and your counterparts throughout the country to what extent are you aware of this trend and what are you doing, if anything, to re-examine your own position? What, if anything, are you doing to meet this ever-growing challenge? To what extent are your promotion departments matching the efforts of . . . TV and radio . . . ?" With "Gone with the Wind" premiere board in Atlanta's Loew's Grand lobby, I. to r.: Milton H. Musser; Loew's district mgr. Martin C. Burnett; house mgr Howard Rutherford. Univ.'s Eastern ad-pub boss Philip Gerard, Empire U gen. mgr. Hatton Taylor discuss Toronto bow o "Great Imposter" with C of C officials. AIP Eastern pub. mgr. Ruth Polege tells Chicagi sales meet of promotion plans. T1 i ":' f & "Dondi" cartoonist Gus Edson, prod. -director Al Zug smith treat Allied Artists' kid star David Kory. Page 22 Film BULLETIN February 20, 1961