Pathe Sun (December 6, 1929)

THE PATHE SUN 9 Manufacturing Exploitation for Exhibitors Pathe Advertising Publicity and Exploitation Department Conducts “Test” Campaigns for Use of All Stunt-Minded Exhibitors By G. R. O’NEILL Director of Advertising Publicity and Exploitation While the Pathe Advertising Publicity and Exploitation Department has conducted a widely-noticed ad campaign over a period of many months, and has achieved respectable success in planting Pathe publicity in news- papers and magazines, the exploitation end of the Department has been far from idle. It is a pleasure to be able to report to the Pathe general organization that we have done some extremely successful field work in this branch of the service, which is likely, by all the signs, to accomplish a beneficial result. What’s Behind It The idea behind our recent exploitation activity has been based on a fundamental conviction. Workers in the field know that very few of the “exploitation sugges- tions” contained in the press-books are actually used by exhibitors. This is not an intra-family complaint; it is a con- dition common to all press-books and all companies. The reason is that, without testing the projected “stunt” in a theatre, it is liable to prove inadequate or useless. For example, more likely than not it con- tains objectionable features, such as too great expense required, impracticability, and so on. Exploitation thrives on prac- ticability. The test is: Will it work? And you cannot know by instinct what will work and what will not. You have to go out and try it. What We Did In effect, that’s what we did. We went out in to the field and tried it. We went into a theatre which had booked a Pathe picture, sat down with the manager and publicity man, explored the possibilities of the city, neighborhood, and class of patron- age, and cooked up a number of exploita- tion stunts which were promptly put into work. The results were amazing. It just shows what the trial method will do. “Big News” On Broadway For example, here’s what we did with “Big News” when it was booked into the Colony on Broadway, New York. We took the stock herald which was an ac- cessory of the picture, and had been made up in the form of a pink tabloid. We printed the Colony name on it, got a flock of newsboys dressed in special “Colony Big News” aprons, and had them dis- tribute 50,000 of the tabs up and down mid-town Broadway. The stunt created a sensation. Guests in 35 of New York’s biggest hotels also received copies of the herald. 25,000 were used for this purpose. Tie-ups were effected with the Earle Hosiery shop and a stocking cut-out of Carol Lombard used; also with the famous Davega sporting-goods shops. Giant elec- tric signs created a big-time atmosphere. The campaign went over and “Big News” did a strong business. “The Sophomore” in Philadelphia “The Sophomore” opening at the Earle Theatre in Philadelphia was put over by Bob Mochrie, Philadelphia branch man- ager, and Joe Rivkin of this department working together. It was accomplished by getting Eddie Quillan in Philadelphia (his home town) for personal appearances. Quillan was steered into a formal meeting with Philadelphia executives and a sumptu- ous dinner which the press attended. A Ford ballyhoo car which cost the exchange $25 did a heap of good. The opening day’s business was $600 better than any previ- ous opening day for a year. The picture went over big. “Oh Yeah!” in Baltimore We gave “Oh Yeah!” a flying start for its run at the Keith Theatre in Baltimore. We tied up with local music stores on the theme song and had it plugged strongly over radio stations. Teaser throwaways with merely the word “Oh Yeah!” to the tune of 10,000, were distributed all over the city. Window cards (no mention of theatre or date) were printed and dis- played in 300 leading stores. Similar cards followed up with the title and announce- ment. Railroad yards had special cards, and railroad officials were invited to the opening. Posting consisted of 25 24-sheets, 100 3-sheets and 200 1-sheets. Did the picture go over? You bet! A Few Samples of Tie-Ups by Exploitation Department “The Sophomore” in Boston A really enterprising campaign was put over for the opening in Boston of “The Sophomore” at the New Keith Memorial Theatre. This was engineered by Joe Rivkin and myself and consisted of creat- ing “College Week” in Boston, and tie-ups with five leading colleges and two leading high schools. Every night was dedicated to a different football team. Teams were seated in special boxes, draped, etc. Spe- cial newsreels showing each college’s foot- ball activities went on each night. Special I ENJOY £i& SHAVE Geor^f CeMdipe Pathe star, demonstrates a Gtherizep Shave toJaij 65 lippen,sUp comedian IJou will enjoy every Geof&IeAnrt Tbthe will enpyeitpy CathtFuer CfftimBubb/f Shave-' SEE THE BARBERS' C0L1EGE*AT YOUR FAVORITE THEATRE GF.T YOUI1 LATHERIZER SHAVE Htttt/ ads were run. Five cameramen covered five football games Saturday. And that wasn’t all. The theatre was dressed up royally in pennants, flags, etc. A loudspeaker was used in front of the theatre. Cut-outs, football figures, Ortho- phonic theme-song playing, and a 24-sheet- sized banner reading COLLEGE WEEK hung across the street. Besides the Har- vard-Dartmouth Dinner Dance, theme song broadcast in Statler Hotel, window displays on music, 33,000 heralds, special ads in college papers, feature story pub- licity in newspaper, and generous posting. Ten Straight The Orpheum Theatre, Neosho, Mis- souri, has booked ten programs from Pathe, without a single intervening date, as follows: Dec. 25-26 RED HOT RHYTHM Dec. 27-28—FLYING FOOL Dec. 29-30—HER PRIVATE AFFAIR Dec. 31-Jan. 2—OH, YEAH! Jan. 3-4—SAILOR’S HOLIDAY Jan. 5-6—LUCKY IN LOVE Jan. 7-9—THE AWFUL TRUTH Jan. 10-11—BIG NEWS Jan. 12-13—RICH PEOPLE Jan. 14-16—SOPHOMORE “His First Command” goes into the house after a short break in playing time, January 22-23. O’Neill at Providence Colonel G. R. O’Neill, Director of Ad- vertising and Publicity, went to Provi- dence, R. I., Wednesday where he will direct the exploitation on “The Awful Truth,” which opens at the Majestic Saturday. Joe Rivkin has been at Provi- dence throughout the week lining up stunts and tie-ups. First Jazz Band The Rubeville Band, the unique musi- cal organization that plays mirthful melody in C. B. Maddock’s comedies, was the original vaudeville stage band com- posed of legitimate musicians and the first to play jazz. This band was organized in 1914 for Maddock’s vaudeville production of “Rubeville.” It has numbered in its ranks such capable musicians as Jay G. Sims, now with Sousa’s band; Bobby Beers, later with Vincent Lopez; Charles Harris, late of Prior’s band; Del Stegers, now solo cornetist with Edwin Franko Goldman; Stanley Hanaford, trombonist with the Victor Salon orchestra and Reg Merville, who is still with the band. DATE WIZARD Here you are, lads and lassies. Shake, hands with Bill Drake, says “Sport- light” Tom North. Bill is Head Booker of the Harry Lorch fast steppers over in Chicago. And believe it or not, Bill books ’em and plants ’em before they are named. Think that one over. “On the job” Drake is high chief of the Chi- cago “All Americans” in forward passes dates and gettin’ ’em in. A wow. That’s Drake. —TOM NORTH. Portland Goes Pathe The month is still young in Port- land, but the old Rooster has already cast his shadow over four first-run theatres. Within the next two weeks, Portland has the following first-runs set in— “Oh, Yeah?” at the Orpheum. “Sailor’s Holiday” at the Oriental. “Her Private Affair” at the Blue Mouse. “This Thing Called Love” at the Broadway. What will War Horse Percy do be- fore the month is over? Pezet at H. O. George Pezet, Manager of the Mexi- can branch of Pathe, is at the Home Of- fice for conferences with the Foreign Department. Mr. Pezet will be in New York about ten days. In a later issue of the Sun he will tell how the Pathe program is going over in the neighbor* hood Republic.