The film daily year book of motion pictures (1938)

in the near future? What size hat? Shoes? Gloves? Collar? Socks? Those are the questions to be printed in a coupon to be run in your local paper. Readers are to guess the star's exact measurements. Give an enlarged still of the star, or a pair of tickets as the prize. On the day you announce the winner, have an enlarged telegram, supposed to have come from Hollywood, giving the star's exact measurements. This telegram will make a fine display if surrounded by a score of coupons received from contestants. Merchant's Guest The co-operation of a half-dozen merchants is secured to provide a round-trip ticket to the nearby big city for some lucky winner. The prize calls for a three-day hotel accommodation. It is worked along the usual lines of a coupon with each dollar purchase, the trip going to the person holding the largest number of coupons. The coupons must be dropped in a box at the theater as they are acquired. The daily paper gives ten consecutive stories, in return for a double-truck announcement. Merchants keep up the plug in their daily ads, and each has a special window for the picture attraction at your theater. Permanent Co-ops In cooperation with local merchants, run a weekly co-op page with a contest angle. Letters are dropped from various words in the ads, and when these are replaced they can be assembled to spell the title of the current picture. Offer prizes for the six neatest and most original replies each week. Merchants contribute the prizes. They should go for this stunt during the summer months, for it insures their ads being read. Office Girls On this stunt, the stores can cooperate and benefit by offering attractions and inducements for the patronage of the business girls. It can be used on any pictures with a business girl angle. Induce the local authorities to proclaim the week during showing of the film as "Business Girl Week." The mayor issues a special proclamation which is played up by the newspapers. The mayor in his proclamation calls attention of the populace to the community importance of the girl whose nimble fingers skip over the typewriter keys daily. Baseball Champs A good number for the sports editor. He plays this up for the local baseball team, offering tickets to the members who score the winning run, as well as home runs each day of play. The idea can be run right through the baseball season, or as long as the editor is willing to give it a ride. You can finish up the season with a Baseball Night, especially if the home team has won any local championship, which gives you a great chance to make it a community event. Historical Essays Pick out a feature with a historical background, and interest the high school history teacher in an essay contest. Plenty of publicity by tieing up with the local grammar or high school, offering a prize for the best essay in a subject bearing a connection with the theme of a coming attraction. Handle this through your newspaper by having the announcement made through the paper, which also prints the winning essays. Dialogue A novelty contest that is always good for the women's page. A cut is made of the heads of the two players featured in a love story. Above the heads are two blank balloons that are mortised into the cut. The readers are invited to fill in the balloons with their conception of what the two stars are saying to each other. This is run in advance of the feature. The newspaper gives an outline of the theme, so that the readers can approximate what they really say to each other in the feature. Ad Styles When your newspaper ads seem to lose drawing power, try making a switch in style. If you are using more than a six-inch space, change over to the open letter style. Write a breezy chat about the picture instead of using smash lines as display. You can use the same lines if you want, but work them into a running comment on the picture. Use open space top and bottom, and decorate with a head cut from some large ad mat. You can cut down your space and still be so different on the page that yours will be the first announcement read. When that wears off. you can go back to regular display, but the open letter style should give you more punch in smaller space. Have the copy set in 10 or 12 point, leaded, and make it so easy to read that people are willing, and so bright that people look for more. Star's Head Juvenile organizations and drawing classes in local schools will go for this one. Have a newspaper print the outline of a star's head. Alongside the outline have printed a half-tone of the star. The gag is to offer prizes for the best drawing within the outline of the picture in the half-tone. You can get most from the stunt if the half-tone is a bit larger, or smaller, than the outline, thereby forestalling anyone from tracing the picture. 870