College Coach (Warner Bros.) (1933)

Stunt of the \Neek 2. IDEAS FOR NEWSPAPER TIE-UPS | ee voting contest with (or without) newspaper cooperation to find the most popular male and female amateur athlete in your city. 2. A contest conducted by a local newspaper to have readers identify national and local football players from photographs printed daily in the cooperating newspaper. Use Both kor A Smashing Advance Publicity Campaign: kither One Is Big Enough For “The Stunt Of The Week’’ STUNT NUMBER ONE This idea was used very successfully by George Rotsky, manager of the Palace Theatre in Montreal, Canada. By special arrangement with a steamship line he was able to offer several ocean trips to the winners. This in a great measure, is what made the contest It gave the candidates something to strive for and consequently all their friends were urged to go often to the theatre to vote. so alluring. Arrange to secure worthwhile awards for the winning candidates. Vacation trips, airplane trips, jewelry, wearing apparel, or cash are always of great inducement. A tie-up is effected with a local newspaper to carry the publicity of the contest. The newspaper also prints a voting coupon each day during the run of the voting period. This coupon is good for any number of vote credits you decide upon—ten, fifty or one hundred votes. Readers are asked to fill in the name and address of the candidates they choose to vote for. The votes are then deposited in a ballot box in the lobby of your theatre. Every paid admission entitles patrons to deposit one voting coupon. In this way people have to buy the newspaper to obtain voting coupons and further, they must buy a ticket to your theatre in order to cast their votes. At the end of the voting period, a committee of well known local people act as official judges. After making a count of the votes announce the male and female who have received the highest number of votes. Of course, after the winners have been selected have them appear at your theatre on your opening night of ‘“‘College Coach.” This personal appearance should be widely advertised and is bound to bring a large audience to your theatre. While the voting for candidates is general at the beginning, the competition narrows down to among ten or fifteen candidates. This gives the cooperating newpaper excellent material for daily publicity stories on the progress of the contest. Photographs of leading candidates may be printed, together with their comparative standing of votes. Publicize the contest on your screen and in your lobby, giving the cooperating newspaper credit for its part. During the progress of the contest display photos in your lobby of the contestants leading in the contest. The local interest manijfest, both by candidates and their friends who vote for them will be a great advance builder for your showing of “‘College Coach." In the event you cannot get one of your local newspapers to carry the contest publicity exclusively, send out daily announcements and publicity stories on the progress of the contest to all the papers in your town. In this way you have the adwantage of breaking in all the papers from time to time, especially at the end of the contest when every paper is sure to play up the contest with big space devoted to the winners and their personal appearance at your theatre on the opening night of ‘College Coach.” In the absence of an exclusive newspaper tie-up have the voting coupons printed on small cards and make them available to all patrons. You can post the comparative standing of candidates on a bulletin board in your lobby, surrounded with pictures of the persons in the lead. Needless to mention this barometer will be a source of keen interest and should carry advance advertising on “College Coach.” { STUNT NUMBER TWO ; It is an interesting feature which many newspapers use at this time of the year without theatre cooperation. But with the added advantage of prizes offered by the theatre to those submitting correct answers, it ought to make it easier for you to plant this idea. This involves an exclusive newspaper tie-up. Every day during the run of the contest the newspaper prints a different photograph of a football star, known! nationally, and locally. The names of these players are not given. Therefore readers are asked to identify them in name, the position they play and college they represent. This contest should ‘be started ten days to two weeks in advance of your opening of “‘College Coach’’ and should wind-up with photos of Dick Powell and Lyle Talbot in football togs. Give the clue that they are two famous stars of the screen who play the part of two football players in “‘College Coach."’ . . . Who are they? At the end of the time when the newspaper has run all the pictures, contestants are asked to send them in all at one time with the correct identifications as described above and a short letter stating which player gave them the greatest football thrill. You can play up this contest very strongly ini your own theatre. Announce it on the screen and in your lobby. that will be awarded to winning contestants. Display the prizes Give the cooperating newspaper credit and urge your patrons to read the paper for details. ; eee rere a a SSS SS SSSSSSSSSSSSSGGSSSSSG SS ss Sls SSS SSS Page Fifteen Beene =