Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1919)

A ugust 2 , I p ip 1059 Butterfly, Milwaukee, Seeks to Establish Confidence in its Ads By Leo A. Landau. Manager, Butterfly Theatre, Milwaukee Another instalment in the series which leading managers of the country are writing at our request tell the " why " of the advertising policy. PHOTOPLAY attractions must be "sold" just as any other merchandise is sold. Real salesmanship must be employed to sell a program to the public. Just as a salesman must be well dressed, so must the advertisements and the front of the theatre be pleasing to look at. The real salesman of today does not wear a checkered suit, a red tie, and a diamcmd horseshoe, topped ■off with a brown derby. Nor should the front of the theatre follow the same general idea in failing to observe good taste. Garish posters and newspaper ads filled with cheap superlatives create the 5ame impression with the public as does the oldfashioned drummer whom I have pictured. The old days of Rattlesnake Bill, who claimed the snake oil he sold was the world's greatest invention and would remedy anything from a sprained ankle to a rusty stove pipe, are practically gone. People fight shy of wild claims in business. The good salesman avoids the use of superlatives. He does not claim that his article is the world's greatest, that it is one hundred dollars' worth of goods being sold at ten cents, nor that it is the only thing in the world. A sensible buyer steers clear of such arguments and is impressed by the salesman who speaks in a perfectly frank and easy manner. The buyer wants a legitimate return for his money and wants to know that the goods he is purchasing are of standard quality. If he has confidence in the salesman and has found that the salesman always tells the truth he is not afraid to place an order. The same arguments hold in selling photoplays to the public. The readers grow tired of hearing that a certain theatre each week runs "positively the most startling, best staged and spectacular pro duction ever made." They cannot help but question the truth of the statement that each successive photoplay featuring a certain star is that star's best work. We believe in telling the truth about the programs of our theatre. If we have an exceptionally good offering we say so, but if the program is just ordinarily good we avoid trying to make it what it is not, and rather see if there is not a certain class of people to which it will appeal, and then we harp on that particular appeal. Naturally while sticking to the truth in our ads we do not empha 212 Grand Ave. Today ! Today! Fight Returns! Special Wire! Every Blow Ai Struck I Announc«d While Piclurn U BetDg RunI Wire From RiDgtide to Butterfly Ticker on SUge! COMING SUNDAY: ETHEL CLAYTO.^ io "Tiie WoRiao Hex* Dew" In a dicver New Play "Her Bndal Night" The Somewhat Sensational Story of a Man Who Finds Himself Married to 2 Women Whom He Cannot Tell Apart! Mi«* Body Wears Many Wonderful G^wns j and Does Some Splendid Acting. Extra' "School Days" k^'sXz. This ad, three columns by five inches, uses a half tone to advantage. Notice the phrase, "The somewhat sensational story " size the weak points. Recently we stated in an ad that we did not think the work of a certain star in a production which we were advertising was her best, but stated that the plot was a most novel one. We were interested to find that scores of EXTRA! WILLARD-DEMPSEY FIGHT! Announced in Detail at the Butterfly on July 4th! Special Wire From the Ringside! Every Blow Just as Struck! As Usual, the Butterfly Is First to Announce This Service to Patrons! Now Watch Those Who Like to Imitate Do the Same! Cooling Sytmm, * Atwaym 10" Coolmr Than BUTTERFLY I Incomparable Orcheatra CHAS. RAY and WANDA HAWLEY 'c,e?.:"pfe'"' "Greased Lightning" It's Sad— Yet It's Funny— You'll Enjoy Every Minute of It All Who Have Seen It Declare That Ifs One of His Best. Also LATEST WORLD NEWS nod SCREEN MAGAZINE Coming: Eugene O'Brien and Marguerite Clark in the Well Known Stage Play, "COME OVT OF THE KITCHEN." Charlie Ray The wording of the upper half of the ad prevented other houses from announcing similar service until the day before the fight, when one did. Space, four columns by five and one-half inches Leo A. Landau Butterfly Theatre, Milwaukee. Wis. ' 'i'*' people came to the theatre that week . for .li&e express purpos of seeing whether or not ^h^y agreed with us, and many of them said we had been too modest in our claims for the picture, as they liked it. On the other hand, less enthusiasitic patrons told us that they entirely agreed with us in our statements and we felt that the ad had pleased everyone. Another time we showed a picture that was of too deep and serious a nature for youngsters. We could easily have advertised the old slogan " children positively not admitted," but we think that style of advertising hurts the theatre. In our advertisement we stated simply, " children will not be interested in this production." As a result there were scarcely any children in the audience, but they packed the house later when we staged a production to their liking. < I always give my personal opinion of tlie Butterfly shows in the ad and let the people take it for what it is worth. In advertising I follow one rule. After reading my criticism of the production I say to myself, " Is that what you would tell Mrs. Landau if she asked you what the coming show was like?" If I can honestly answer "yes" to that question I include the criticism in my ad. / am sure that if I gave my wife a bum steer on a picture I would hear from her, and I feel the same about the public. My personal criticism in my ads has the effect of creating an impression that the Butterfly is square and above board in all its dealings. I find that some people do not agree with my opinions of pictures, but they at least find that I am consistent. One woman told me that she never agreed with me in my criticisms. " You and I have opposite views on what is good in motion pictures, Mr. Landau," she told me. " I will say, however, that you are consistenf in your criticism, for I am always sure to enjoy the pictures you do not care a great deal about." {Continued on page 1066)