Motography (Jul-Sep 1916)

102 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XVI, No. 2. Efficiency in Film Advertising How the Advertising Agency Works in Burnet-Kuhn of Chicago PERHAPS in no single phase of the motion picture industry has greater advancement been made within the past few months than in the advertising of the big productions. Once the film manufacturer thought that if he spent a thousand dollars on a production and had five state rights buyers he could rely upon to purchase his product when it was completed, his success was assured. But now the time has arrived when tens of thousands of dollars are spent on a production and the manufacturer not only offers it to exhibitors through a half hundred or more exchanges, but in advance of its release inaugurates an advertising campaign that alone runs into many thousands of dollars and includes the use of space in periodicals of national circulation, daily newspapers in every big city in the country, and colored inserts and full page display ads in all of the trade journals. With this advance in advertising, the producer has found himself hopelessly handicapped when he tries to look after the exploitation of his picture as well as the manufacture of it, for an intensive campaign of advertising involves immediately so many details, that the busy producer is glad to unload the responsibility of creating a demand for the picture on the part of exhibitors, on an advertising agency. The advertising agenc3r, having specialized to a high degree on its profession, knows what will and what will not attract the attention of the public, and so is prepared to go scientifically about the exploitation of a production, the designing of a campaign of publicity that is sure to produce certain results. In fact, the agencies have found the motion picture field so fruitful, and the demand for their services so tremendous that certain of them have gone even further with their specialization and undertaking the writing of motion picture advertising almost exclusively. Such a firm is the Burnet-Kuhn Advertising Company, of Chicago, headed by J. Sidney Burnet, a man long respected and admired in the advertising field on account of his sales ability and sterling character; and Paul R. Kuhn, who has perhaps written more motion picture advertising than any other single man in America. Mr. Burnet has devoted his time and talents to the development of advertising accounts and the creation of selling plans, while Mr. Kuhn is known to practically every big man in the film industry through his writing of such advertising campaigns as those which exploited "The Million Dollar Mystery," "The Diamond from the Sky," the Chicago Tribune's German War Films, "The Girl and the Game," "The Mutual Masterpieces," and more recently, i In "Gloria's Romance" campaign. He is a man who has demonstrated times without number that he can write "pulling copy," advertisements that actually make people want to see the thing advertised— the sort of matter that, when published, actually brings dimes and quarters into the box office of the theaters showing the attraction advertised. After a personal investigation and an Connection with Picture Publicity Pioneers in Field alysis of the motion picture industry, Mr. Kuhn came to the conclusion that the film production that was extensively advertised and exploited in a big national campaign would quickly come to be regarded as something out of the ordinary, above the common level, and so able to command showings at better theaters, longer runs and bigger profits, Paul R. Kuhn. even though the film itself might cost more to make. And time has proved that he was right, for every exhibitor knows that the widely advertised production earns him more money, when he shows it, than does the film he books in the regular routine of business which is totally unknown to the people which compose his audience, until they see it on the screen. It is self evident, however, that a busy film manufacturer, with all his time occupied in the superintendence of big productions he has under way, hasn't the time necessary to carry on a big national campaign of advertising. Such campaigns naturally require an organization of advertising specialists, thoroughly familiar with the operation of newspapers, trade journals, magazines and other media. The film magnate doesn't attempt to act out his own productions, but engages players of note to do that part of the work for him. The big manufacturer doesn't attempt to superintend the details of production himself, but employs a professional director of note who has had experience in staging big spectacles, who has specialized in artistic lighting and other technical details. Quite naturally, therefore, when it comes time to advertise the offering it has taken months to prepare, the film manufacturer doesn't himself sit down and write the ad copy, but employs an advertising agency, which has specialized on the preparation of just such national campaigns as the producer knows he wants to put to work for his picture. "And when this advertising agency is employed," explained Mr. Kuhn. "it promptly goes to work to prepare copy to create a desire on the part of the public for that particular production. The exhibitor is glad to book this picture, for he knows the public has already been informed of its merits and is anxious to see it. He, in his turn, has then but to advertise that he is going to show it on certain days, and the public immediately flocks to his theater, and so better business results for not only the manufacturer and exchange man, but also for the exhibitor running the advertised film. "Of course," continued Mr. Kuhn, "the exhibitor has already been solicited through _ advertising, for an advertising agency is quick to recognize the value of the trade journals as an advertising media. The preparation of a campaign in the trade papers requires not only great skill in being able to analyze the exhibitors' needs, but also a thorough organization, equipped with proper facilities for the preparation of artistic designs and trade-winning copy. The trade paper field is one which the motion picture manufacturer is sometimes inclined to look at too lightly. It supplies a vital need in bringing quickly to the attention of exhibitors throughout the country any proposition to be exploited. The film man wants quick results, an instant response to his advertisement. The right sort of copy in a trade journal of wide circulation among exhibitors will bring the responses the manufacturer is seeking in a shorter time than any other method. The responses to the ad if not orders in themselves, are at least leads that the manufacturer's salesman can follow up and in the majority of cases make orders. And it has all been done quickly for the use of colored inserts, big display ads and a generous co-operation in the way of publicity matter in the text pages, will bring the film production to the attention of every exhibitor of importance in the country almost over night." That the advertising agency's service is really a tremendous one, quickly becomes apparent when it is known" that the Burnet-Kuhn Advertising Company, for instance, in so gigantic a campaign as the one just prepared for "Gloria's Romance," the George Kleine motion picture novel, featuring Billie Burke, not only designed and placed all newspaper advertising, which included space in papers in hundreds of cities all over the United States, but also designed and placed trade journal advertising that was notable for its artistic excellence and selling force; supplied exhibitors with quantities of publicity matter for use in their programs, house organs, and local newspapers: matrices and electrotypes of the stars and scenes from the production; and in addition to all of this prepared and distributed circulars, banners heralds, slides, lobby photographic displays and window cards. Big outdoor billboard space was utilized in many cities and advertising matter was placed judiciously in papers and magazines of national, circulation. Motocrapiiy can heartily endorse the statement credited not long ago to a certain well known film magnate who expressed the belief that tin advertising which a him receives constitutes fully thirty-three and one-third per cent of its success. And it is true that the advertising agency is a big and steadily growing factor in the motion picture field —one upon which will depend more and more the success of the productions of the future. King and James have opened the New Strand Theater at Broken Bow, Oklahoma.