Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1923)

The same thing' can be done in any city in the country A fine picture plus 1 looR at What they did in Patersonyou can do. Nine days in advance of the showing they used 1000 snipes, 14x42, with a teaser title — “Are You a Wanter?” Seven days in advance — they made a tie-up with the leading paper with a “Wanters” solution problem, the paper giving a quarter of a page daily to this. Prizes being given to the best answers to the question — “What do you want?” Seven days in advance — a teaser campaign connected with prominent people in Paterson. “Mr , you are a famous Wanter by the people of Paterson for the purpose of obtaining more schools.” Regular newspaper advertising started five days in advance with twelve inches — increasing daily to fifty on Sunday and twenty on opening day. Ten outside papers, covering the outlying districts around Paterson — 42 inches. Three days in advance — formed a “Wanters Club” by enlisting pupils of different schools. Each member being presented with a button reading: “R. U. A. Wanter?” Lobby display — marquee cutouts and local store tie-ups completed the campaign. Just because the Garden Theatre management, in Paterson, N. J., knew they had a fine picture in “The Wanters”— do you suppose they were content to sit back and let the picture do the work? Nothing doing. They knew, as all real hustling showmen know, that an excellent picture possessing good public selling possibilities, such as are found in “The Wanters,” means greater business and larger net profits provided — one takes advantage of the picture’s possibilities and exploits them. They told Paterson about the “The Wanters” and the results obtained more than justified their judgment as showmen. LOUIS B. MAYER presents the JOHN u PRODUCT Ktt WAN From the story by LEIL A B U R TO N WELLS Directed by ^ JOHN M. STAHL Scenario by J.G.H/W/KS Sc PAUL BERN Photography by ERNEST G. PALMER