Blessed Event (Warner Bros.) (1932)

EXPLOITATION Blessed Event Column Make arrangements with the maternity hospitals in your neighborhood to keep you posted on the prospective mothers who register. Have them give you also all information available on the births as they occur. As fast as you get the information relayed to you have a local newspaper feature it in a breezy manner, instead of the stereotyped announcement of births. Take the ‘‘ blessed event’’ idea out of the usual category and put zip and pep into it. Get the city clerk’s office to give you information regarding local marriages and divorces and combine them into a ‘‘chatter’’ column, thus offering the paper something it would have to pay for from syndicated columnists. In being localized your column will have more reader interest. Start it ten days in advance of your opening and tie in the showing of ‘*Blessed Event.’’ Snapshot Contest Snapshots of infants are always interesting and most newspapers jump at the chance to obtain them for their columns or roto sections. In this respect, you might arrange a contest and award promoted prizes for the best snapshots of babies, asleep, awake and at play. Baby photos are always interesting subjects and command attention. Offer passes for the ‘‘honorable mentions’? and promote _ substantial awards for one, two, three place winners. Get the contest under way well in advance so you can arrange a full page break coincident with your opening. Display all of the snapshots in your lobby and announce the display in the papers. iJ Birthday Cards ry aa Ee exninitation. stunt “44 good-will builder that will gét attention is to print up special birthday cards to be sent to parents of children who are born during the month in which you are to play ‘‘Blessed Event.’? These might read something like this: ‘‘CONGRATULATIONS—We Congratulate You on Your ‘Blessed Event’ and Anticipate One Ourselves On (date.), Manager, Stanley Theatre.’’ Another method in which this stunt may be utilized to good advantage is to select a list of names and send them a special card reading: ‘‘We ANTICIPATE A ‘BLESSED EVENT’ ON (date) AND URGE YOU TO BE ON HAND FOR THE CELEBRATION, Manager, Stanley Theatre.’? SPECIAL NOVELTY HERALD NO INCREASE IN PRICES: Amateur Columnists Stage a contest with one of your local newspapers for amateur columnists and get them to carry the prizewinning columns. The contest might be handled along the lines of ‘‘chatter’’ or ‘‘gossip’’ picked up here and there about town by the entrants. The stunt affords an opportunity for the newspaper to stimulate reader interest and gives an opportunity to = ae ORS Is F et ere S ¢ > soa args Wires Arama eo aren for themselves. A great stunt in this connection would be to sell the newspaper on the idea of putting the winner of the contest on the payroll for a few weeks as the prize for his or her efforts. That inducement ought to have wide appeal to journalism students. The balance of the prizes could consist of passes or cash, depending on the extent of the tie-up. Savings Accounts Tie up with the banks to give each baby born during the showing of “*Blessed Event,’’ its first dollar in its savings account. This won’t cost you or the bank much money and will get plenty of good-will, as well as valuable publicity. Here’s one of the cleverest heralds in years! Cut and folded in the shape of a diaper, as illustrated, it is printed in full color and opens to the regular large herald size. Ample space for imprint. 1M to 5M—$3.00 per M Over 5M—$2.75 per M At Your Exchange ———EeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeE==———— First Babies Announce on the screen, in your program and in newspaper publicity that you will offer prizes for the first five or ten babies born during your showing of ‘‘Blessed Event.’? The first baby born, should get a special prize. There should also be a special prize for the first baby given the name of Lee, after Lee Tracy. Prizes can undoubtedly be promoted from a local kiddie shop with the sil __ver loving cup for the first baby pro moted from a local jeweler. Give this stunt plenty of advance publicity. Birthdays A stunt that lends itself to newspaper space as well as excellent advertising exploitation is to award tickets to the residents of your city whose birthday occurs during the week that you are showing ‘‘Blessed Event.?’? It is a simple matter to obtain this data from the records of the local city hall. Write each lucky person a letter of congratulations and enclose a pair of passes to see ‘Blessed Event.’’ The lucky persons can be notified through the columns of your local paper, which should use photos of these individuals. Columnist Preview There is no better publicity medium than the columns of your local papers. Crash the columns by inviting the columnists in and around your city to a special preview of the picture. Try to get their comments for publication and ask them to give the picture a write-up in their columns. Popularity Contest You can conduct, through your theatre, a contest to determine the most popular columnist in town. Give slips to all patrons who attend the theatre one week prior to the opening of ‘‘ Blessed Event’’ and continue the contest to the final play date of the picture. Be careful in conducting this contest so that no columnists will be. ‘offended. Get their consent before putting on the contest. Country Doctor Have an old, retired country doctor tell of his experiences with ‘‘ blessed events’? in the old days, comparing them with the comparative ease of today. Have the old doc reminisce of the times when he used to ride forty miles in a storm to bring in a ‘blessed event.’? Run the reminiscences in the newspaper and try to get the doctor to tell a few anecdotes from your stage. Store Window Make a tie-up with a local department store for a window devoted to a bride and groom background, or a love nest. Have a complete window of wearing apparel and different ar PSL eee rie a Also, include the things required for the care of a baby, such as baby carriage, crib, teething rings, ete. Place’a card in the window surrounded by stills from ‘‘Blessed Event?’ and get your theatre name displayed prominently. Kiddie Shops ‘‘Blessed Event’’ gives you an opportunity to tie-up with kiddie shops on co-operative advertising. Get them to distribute throwaways reading: “<Tf you are expecting a ‘blessed event’ be sure to see us. Anyway, be sure to see ‘BLESSED EVENT?’ at the Strand Theatre;?? Stills in this frame— Lee Tracy—‘Blessed Event”—Pub. X Mary Brian—‘Blessed Event”—47 Page Sixteen LOBBY FRAMES Still—“Blessed Event’>—28 Still—“‘Blessed Event’’—40 Illustration adapted from ads in this manual