The Moving picture world (May 1924-June 1924)

696 i MOVING PICTURE WORLD June 21. 1924 An Announcement Effective June 16th, 1924, the post of Advertising Manager of Moving Picture World will be assumed by BEN H. GRIMM The decision to place this important trust in the hands of Mr. Grimm is prompted by a two-fold reason. First, in the opinion of Mr. Welsh and myself, it is a reward for loyal service and an opportunity for the broader achievement forecast by Mr. Grimm's past efforts. Second, it is in pursuance of our desire to place executive authority in the hands of those keyed by first hand, practical experience to a sympathetic understanding of the needs of the industry. We live only to serve that industry ; and can live only so long as we serve. I feel confident that the fulfilment of this announcement will constitute a further step in an ever-present program of Service. JOHN F. CHALMERS. IN THE FIELD. And you gave the reason in the fact that you had built a READER'S PAPER. "After that, I surely expected you to talk about the Admission Tax on the editorial page That's one of the things that made you the reader publication. I also thought you would bring up the BAD PRINT subject. You were a year ahead of everybody on that. The exhibitor knows it — but why don't you tell the New Yorker who is just trying to assimilate this FIRST IN THE FIELD talk? "One thing more. "Did you read the other papers last week? Martin Quigley and Bill Johnston couldn't find type big enough or language smooth enough to chronicle their sudden discovery that the M. P. T. O. A. was a real organization, that it had leaders of ability, and their surprise that it had held a SUCCESSFUL convention. Even Joe Dannenburg found a seat on the band wagon — granting that he picked a spot near the running board. "Well— you were just about TWO YEARS AHEAD of them on those discoveries. Why don't YOU shout? No one else will do it for you." To which we replied as before — why tell readers about something you did do, or attempt to deceive them about something you did not do? They KNOW. BUT the argument was still on. "That talk about the READER sounds very fine," said our friend, "but when you write advertising copy you don't write it to reach the reader. Your ad must have been aimed at R. A. Rowland, R. H. Cochrane, Sydney Kent, and the other big fellows in New York. "When you write advertising copy you are talking to advertisers, are you not? Well, why don't you tell them the whole storv? Thev don't know the things YOUR READERS KNOW. "They haven't time to follow your paper week by week ; they never see your subscription list or your renewals; they have never talked to your six thousand exhibitor subscribers; they don't appreciate the real meaning of A. B. C. circulation, and don't care." IT'S rather hard to swallow that pill, even admitting its truth. But we clung to a consoling thought! And expressed it to our friend this way : "The outstanding example of advertising success in the publishing field today is The Saturday Evening Post. "Have you ever stopped to think that there is not a single advertiser in The Saturday Evening Post today who can lay the slightest claim to having HELPED to bring The Saturday Evening Post to its present outstanding position? "Have you ever stopped to think that EVERY SINGLE ADVERTISER in The Saturday Evening Post today could have been on its books in 1910 and still The Post would have FAILED IGNOMINIOUSLY— IF— "IT HAD FAILED TO GET THE READERS ! "Advertisers are never AHEAD of the readers, never in advance ; advertisers always FOLLOW. "Publishing history abounds in examples of advertisers clinging to a publication long after readers have deserted it. But you can find no case where advertisers discovered the merits and coming success of a publication BEFORE the readers in the field. "Advertisers have never yet, in all the history of publishing, made a publication. READERS DOf Get the readers first — and the advertisers follow. The only wise advertiser is the one who first takes his cue to follow the readers."