Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

May 9 , 19 3 1 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 69 Goodwin Showed His Local Merchants Why It Pays To Advertise "Certainly it pays to advertise," was what Jack Goodwin, manager of the Ritz Theatre in Scranton, Pa., told the local merchants who were reluctant about entering into a =^^^^===== proposition for a co-operative page to plug "It Pays to Advertise" when it played the Publix house. But Jack held his ground, and the result was not one page of co-operative ads, but two. And if you happen to know anything about Scranton you'll understand that for over a year and a half a double-truck page hadn't been promoted. So Goodwin achieved what looked like the impossible. He pulled a very smart move after the page broke on the opening day, too. He had the double truck ad mounted on a 33 inch by 60 inch art panel and placed on display in front of the theatre. A sign stated, "THESE SCRANTON MERCHANTS SAY: (on top). READ THE ABOVE AD VERTISEMENTS— CAREFULLY —MANY GREAT VALUES AWAIT YOU (at bottom. This made a big hit with the merchants. Incidentally, Goodwin ran a preview of the picture for the merchants and the advertising staff of the paper before he got the ad. Which may have helped. Another excellent move was the presentation to the merchants of two complimentary tickets. UST A LITTLE 5IGN Ibtrt we do appreciate •the business you have ^iven OS. GRAND UNION MARKET ■ COMPLETE AND DON T FORGET t I SEE THE ROUSING. ROMANTIC FARCE ' IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE" WITH NORMAN FOSTER. SKEETS GALLAGHER, EUGENE PALLETTE. CAROLE LOMBARD AND FIVE GREAT ACTS VAUDEVILLE at the RITZ THEATRE WEEK starting Monday, march 23RD And now here's another little stunt that perhaps you'd like to interest your local merchant or merchants on. The copy tells the story rather completely. The theatre's attraction is tied-in on the bottom of the throwaway. As can be seen, the throwaways, which measure 5% by 3% inches, printed in black on white stock, are inserted in packages leaving the store of the dealers. Goodwin supplies the heralds, 10,000 of which are used weekly, and they cost him but little. If you think that you can use this gag, it will no doubt help get you some extra publicity weekly. Give it a little consideration, and if you can use it, take it with Goodwin's compliments. Thanks, Jack. Some Excellent Work Paul Binstock rated space Binstock, Plugging recently in the editorial col• I wir I r»» I umns of the Queens County bpecial Week, Did Section of the New York Evening Journal; and the reason Paul received the space in the ace evening paper is hereby revealed. As every showman is aware, the week of April 4th to 10th was set aside as Players and Patrons Jubilee Week, which week really was the annual N.V.A. week. Binstock, who manages the Fox Astoria Grand Theatre in Astoria, Long Island, N. Y., decided to make a personal visit to the office of the Borough President and secure from him an official proclamation setting the week aside as "Players and Patrons Jubilee Week," officially recognized by Queens. Well, to make the story short, Binstock visited the office of the Borough President. A photographer from the newspaper was on hand to take a picture showing Binstock in the act of receiving the authentic proclamation from the hands of the Borough President. This picture landed in the editorial columns, together with quite a story. The article was headed off : "Next Week In Queens — Attend The Theatre." And so Paul not only grabbed off some publicity for himself, but as well secured publicity for the meritorious drive reigning at the time to help the needy actors and actresses of the show profession. Underbaked or Overbaked! We picked up the following some time ago, but cannot recall who wrote it: "It is just as harmful to take the loaf of bread out of the oven half baked as it is to let it stay in too long and be overdone." So before you can up and ask us what bread has to do with theatres, we'll hustle to tell you why we started this little story. How many times have you started a great exploitation and advertising campaign and then let up on it too soon, or curtailed the entire campaign before it was completed? Then again, how often have you started on advertising some great big picture and kept at it until you had actually overdone it ? One is just as bad as the other if viewed from the angle of good showmanship. In planning an advertising campaign of any kind, every possible point should be carefully watched and covered, but with the thought always in mind that you must be careful to go through with it and at the same time not plug it until it becomes tiresome. Take any average town or city which boasts of one or two good newspapers and you will most generally find that a short (week to ten days) but snappy, well-thoughtout plan will stir up all the interest that you require to put over a picture. Trying to work up such interest by a series of teaser ads two or three weeks ahead, then the actual campaign following is apt to dull the interest that you have created in what you are selling. When "Reaching for the "Reaching For Moon'' Moon" played the Colonial .i r»i n Theatre m Allentown, Pa., you Given Ace Plug By might easily have been sure Slee In Allentown ^^IJ^^^'J ^ ^^^f\ manager oi the theatre, would give the film an excellent campaign, as is his custom to do on all pictures he puts over in his town. Well, Slee's campaign came up to expectations. In fact, we can even say that it more than came up to expectations, especially in view of the highlights that were displayed. These highlights about which we are talking were the act window displays obtained around town. A tie-up with the telephone company was productive of a cut-out of Fairbanks, holding a French phone, which was placed on display in the company's windows along with a number of French phones. Then Slee secured a window display break in one of the leading jewelry stores in the town. A special array of jewelry was attractively grouped about a still of the stars in the picture. We are showing this display here. You will also note another display obtained in the window of a sporting good's store, long a fertile field for the atnienc Fairbanks, whose prowess at all sports is well known by fans and players alike. The dealer was more than willing to arrange an attractive cut-out in the window and build a display of sports goods about it. You can be sure that these displays did lots to have the town talking about the picture. Slee, being well acquainted with his town, wisely figured that window displays would prove one of the most powerful sales methods he could devise. The results showed it. Right, Warren? Let's have some more, and give our regards to our friends in your town and the surrounding spots, too. Oke? 'SHOWMANSHIP— 15 YEARS AGO!" Will Be Resumed Next Week