The Moving picture world (October 1920)

October 16, 1920 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 935 Three of Thirteen Brides Got a Free Ride Offering News Plus a Hobby Won for Patterson a Full Front Sunday Page WILLARD C. PATTERSON, managing director of the Criterion, Atlanta, got the front page of the Atlanta Constitution's dramatic section for September 26 for Annette Kellerman in "What Women Love." He didn't go down and pester the dramatic editor with reminders of his heavy advertising patronage, he did not go down with a bale of press stuff and hang on until he got something in. He planted the story, just as any well-trained agent would. He sold it because he had something to sell. He sold it on news value plus editorial hobby. Knew His Men This does not mean that Mr. Patterson deliberately planned to work on a hobby to seduce a full page out of the editor. It was merely that he knew what interested the man he wanted to sell to, and he. offered something that man was most likely to buy. This is the foundation of all good press painting. Any man can take a stock of type written paper into an office in the hope that the editor will say "Yes" to some of it. A good agent offers the one thing which he has reason to believe will interest his man. Patterson knew that the dramatic editor was fond of outdoor exercise. He is not a crank, but he walks much to keep himself in trim, and Patterson knew it. Instead of taking down a bunch of pictures of Miss Kellerman and trying to sell shape alone, he put a story to it ; a story he felt reasonably certain would interest the editor. Dug Into History He happened to recali that Miss Kellerman had taken up swimming at her physi■ cian's orders to correct and strengthen her physique. She was threatened with "chalk bones" and this particular form of exercise was recommended as a cure. That's about all Patterson could remember, but he told his story and then he unwrapped his samples of the present shapely legs of the once incipient cripple. The editor reached for them and the story was sold. Some Layout! The Sunday dramatic section carried an art layout with eleven photographs of the star, built up with sketches, and the underline, "Annette Kellerman, as she appears in her new million-dollar picture, 'What Women Love.' " It did not tell that she was coming to the Criterion. It did announce in the type that she would shortly be seen in Atlanta, for that gave a news twist to the story. Mr. Patterson saw to it that everyone knew where. This is not just a record of how Mr. Patterson got a front page story. That would not be worth all this space. It is telling you to study your editors, whether you work a large town or have only one chinwhiskered genius who is his own typesetter to work upon. Sell on Appeal Be a salesman and not a beggar or a grafter. You may be entitled to a certain amount of free mention for your advertising, but if you can get more and at the same time make the editor thank you, don't you think it worth the little extra trouble? Outside of the regular shows-of-the-week announcement, you should sell your press stuff just as carefully as though you wanted space rates for it. You should study your men. If your editor has a marked preference for out door sports, try to sell him on stills showing outdoors. If he is literary, sell him on the authors' names. If he is a grouch, coax him with bathing beauties. Give him what he is interested in. In theory the editor tries to give his ■readers what they want. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, he thinks they want what he likes himself. Sell him on his own likes and you can get more space with less friction. But don't overdo the selling. Don't oversell him. If he is especially an admirer of Mary Pickford or Norma Talmadge or Alice Joyce, don't fill him so full of his star that he cannot take anything else. Get in his good graces by playing up his divinity, but make that fact lead to a return favor by his playing up your stuff. In other words, don't make press planting a matter between yourself and the advertising department. Don't kick for your "rights," but get more space by selling the editor what he wants to buy with his space. The three of you will be happier and you'll get more stuff to paste up. Patterson knows that. You know it now. You can be as good as Patterson was if you take the same pains. Oriental Display Made Good Lobby for "Yellow Typhoon" E. Metzger who recently sent out two eight year old children to advertise Griffith's "The Greatest Question," took another tack for Anita Stewart in "The Yellow Typhoon." He rented fifty Chinese lanterns and strung them in his lobby. Then he gave credit lines in his program for the loan of some oriental rugs with which to drape the walls, and with some carved sword scabbards and other oriental trinkets he made the lobby of his Strand, Creston, la., into a veritable museum. It was something so different that it got attention and this attention was cashed at the box office. Made Corner on Brides for "Bride Thirteen" Brides have been used for several married life pictures lately, but the Strand, Denver, puts it all over the rest by sending out three brides to advertise "Bride Thirteen," the new Fox serial. Each "bride" was accompanied by a groom, and two rode in open carriages while the third had an auto. Getting the rigs out, no one took the trouble to count and there might have been three or thirteen so far as the public was concerned. If this keeps up we shall presently be having professional matinees for the ballyhoo people. BRIDES HAD A HAPPY TIME IN DENVER WHEN THE FOX SERIAL PLAYED. THEY ALL GOT A RIDE The Strand, Denver, put out three brides -when it played "Bride Thirteen," and by keeping them busy the townsfolk were willing to swear they had seen all thirteen of them— and Denver has been dry for a long lime. It was a good ballyhoo, and got the Serial off to a big play for the first episode. They don't need much help for the remainder of tbr run. It s over for keeps.