Publix Opinion (Dec 10, 1927)

ta GO ERE ELLE EYL PLE I EN IT 5k Z RI 4 RRR SRT ee evemernerie E* ute OTE OAT RTS ET TRIP TE oT NERO TL t satin eat see aie AA AERIS TOTES LR : sabi coe < — CR dans taal fahagit il tanttsti iia? 2 FIRST PUBLIX OPPORTUNITY S$ GARNERED GREAT PUBLICITY OVER ENTIRE CIRCUIT Analysis of the recently conducted ‘Opportunity Contest’ which has just reached a successful conclusion, reveals a most startling array of ‘encouraging facts and figures. To begin with, managers and directors of publicity reported highly successful publicity and box office results from the elimination contests. They again reported similarly after the engagement of “Young America,’’ which featured the ‘‘opportunity contest” prize winners in its cast. Nearly every manager and director of publicity who wrote a comment to the home office, suggested that the “Publix Opportunity Contest’? be an annual event, despite the fact that it means a lot of work for everyone, and no inconsiderable amount of annoyance. All agreed that the benefits more than outweighed the accompanying headaches A questionnaire is soon to be prepared, asking all Publix unit theatre managers and advertising| heads to record an opinion on the suggestion, and also to offer any} idea how the Opportunity Contest} can be improved, if it is decided | to make itan annual event. Examination of the newspaper clippings and letters received indicates that the idea got an average of approximately ten full pages of publicity in each city—a total of 1600 inches in each city—and a total of 28,800 inches for the 18) cities. | In terms of money, it is difficult to estimate the value of this free space. per inch, it would be about $144,000, providing front page ‘‘news” space could be purchased. | ; At a circuit-average of $5| In addition, it is estimated that} PUBLIX OPINION, DECEMBER 10th, 1927 OPPORTUNITY GIRLS GET CHANCE TO STAR Did Opportunity knock? And did six petite, pulchritudinous peaches respond to the tapping? The answer to both ques: tions is a great big ‘‘Yes.”’ Hardly had ‘Young America.’”’ Publix Theatre Corporation’s first national Opportunity show completed the most successful tour ever attempted by a Publix unit show, when most of the sixteen girls were in great demand for stage work. Four of these girls—Leora Norton of Detroit; Rose Colgan ,of New York, Alice Finn of Des Moines and Katherine Hoevel of St. Louis—have already been engaged by Publix for future productions. Mildred Skinner of Omaha a niece of the celebrated Otis Skinner, was drafted by a leading New Orleans night club at a big salary. Agents of Florenz, Ziegfeld, attracted by the beauty, charm, the dancing and the sweet voice of Marcy Dirnberger of Indianapolis, are now angling with that young lady for a position in the Ziegfeld “‘Follies.”” The Messrs. Shubert, always: on the lookout for youth, beauty and talent, are said to have made an offer to Frances Stevens of Kansas City to appear in “Artists & Models,” now playing at the Winter Garden. Other attractive stage offers have been made to the other girls who appeared in “Young America.” When Publix boasted that it was offering the non-professional talent, of America a great opportunity, if boasted not in vain. the elimination contests were re-| KEEN COMPETITION FOR sponsible for an average increase | of $4000 for. each city, and that) the advance publicity built up) such interest in the unit that it town. This means that the Opportu-| nity Contest brought an additional average $7,000 in actual cash increase to each box office plus the} $8,000 worth of unpurchasable advertising. Thru the medium of the Oppor Publix, as well as many other valu-| able local theatre institutional as-| sets. It is impossible to estimate the value of this. In some cities the publicity was| of better quality and more gener-| ous than in other towns. the box-office reaction. In a few of the towns, the contest incurred jealously among some contestants and parents, but the showmen in charge invariably were able to straighten things out. If you think the Opportunity | Contest ought to be made an annual institution, please write a letter immediately, voicing your} opinion, and any suggestions. The foregoing is CONFIDEN-| TIAL and should not be given to the press. One newspaper which conducted the Opportunity Contest has already cited its efforts as an excuse to increase advertising rates. As a matter of fact, most editors regarded the contest as the outstanding-‘‘made-news” promotional effort in journalism for 1927 —placing it far ahead of the “Miss America’ contest. Several newspapers which turned down the contest when first approached have since tried. to get it for themselves if it is done again next year. | ment selecting | When they are chosen, the winners Likewise | Opinion. EXPLOITATION PRIZES So keen is the competition for is an average of about $3,000 in-| the special exploitation prizes ofcrease at the box office in each| fered by the leading stars of Paramount, | Artists and First National, Metro-Goldwyn scores of is now busily the various will be listed in United that | the judges have not yet been able |to determine the winners. contest was held during October and November and the prizes were offered by the stars for the best | campaigns executed on pictures in tunity Contest, theatres were en-| Which they were featured during abled without cost to acquaint the} that period. public with the aims and ideals of! ceived This Lem Stewart has reexceptionally | clever campaigns and his departengaged in winners. Publix EARN XMAS GOLD FOR BAND TITLE Twenty-five dollars in gold is still dangling before, not only the publicity directors and managers of Publix theatres, but any at tache of a Publix house who gives the best name for the stage band policy. The contest for a name for this style of entertainment has been going on now for several weeks, and hundreds of suggested titles have been submitted. While scores of them are suitable, no definite selection has yet been made. Everyone associated with Publix is familiar with the stage band policy which in the parlance lof the show business is a form of entertainment at present styled the stage band policy, the Paul Ash policy ete. scription. this form of entertainment; in other words, a permanent trade} | mark. ‘ Some of the names already submitted are “Band Acts,” ‘Publix Music Vendors,” “A Synco-Publix| ‘Publix Serenaders,’’| “Publix Jazz Show,” “Publix Pepsters,” Jestors,” ‘Publix Band Events.” You still have time to carve for yeurseif a niche in the Publix hall} | of fame and at the same time have! |! your Xmas sock filled with five! | jingling five-dollar gold pieces. Neither of these, however, is considered accurate in deIt is the desire of Sam|} Katz to coin a distinct name for) Doob and Schmidt Develop Crack System For Detroit Art Schmidt, of the John H. Kunsky-Publixpublicity staff in Detroit has developed a ‘‘morgue”’ to the last degree of efficiency, according to Oscar Doob, director of advertising and publicity in charge there. Schmidt studied the filing systems in use in the home office, as well as in other theatre organizations, and then, after getting hunches from everybody who could suggest anything on the subject, commenced to build up his filing cabinets, with everybody in the organization helping him. It is now in such shape that every department of the big theatre organization in Detroit finds it extremely helpful, even in that exceptionally efficient organization. Starting out with the home-office tickler file system, covering special merchandising ideas for holidays, ete., he amplified it to a point where it now includes a cross-indexed system of filing all stills of theatre personalities, stage artists, and motiog picture stars, advance reviews, and ad-art So send in your names at once, as | hunches. many as you want, to A. M. Bots-| ford, director of advertising and publicity. “SPEEDY” SYNOPSIS Speedy, a super-active boy of the New York streets, is so called because of the speed with which he gets and loses jobs. His warmest friends are Pop Dillon,.owner and driver of the last horse car line in New York, and Pop’s pretty granddaughter, Jane. Speedy’s weakness is baseball, After a gag-filled holiday with Jane at Coney Island, he gets a job as taxi driver. In an exciting trip thru N. Y. traffic with Babe Ruth (in person) as passenger, he lands Babe at Yankee Stadium just in time for World’s Series game. Only to learn that the villain of the story, knowing Pop Dillon must>drive his car once a day over the line to hold his franchise, has abducted the car and horse. After wild adventures Speedy locates car and horse and drives it madly thru N: Y., returning it just in time to make the run. Pop gets $100,000 from the electric trolley people for his franchise and Speedy gets Jane. He takes all of the trade papers, fan magazines and popular periodicals and finds a dozen things in each issue to clip and file, ineluding reviews, advance synopsis and casts of pictures, stage shows, and exploitation tips. Also he finds considerable art-work ~ adaptable for theatre ads. Another thing he found out was that every film company publishes one or more ‘“‘house-organ” studio, sales department, which frequently contain valuable bits of information or news that comes in handy later on. He wrote for all of them, and then had the principal executives of each theatre placed on the mailing list also, “The idea is reaily Doob’s,”’ said Schmidt. “I merely worked it out under his direction, but it’s a mighty valuable one for every }one concerned. “You see, frequently we play Press book and advertising accessories are either not yet completed, or else are not yet stocked by the | local exchange. So we have to shoot out our ads.and press stories on the information we have in our files. Since we've had our ‘morgue’ (newspaper slang term for filing system) we've frequently discovered that we have almost as much information as the press books when they finally arrive for second run. “We file old stills, press books. action pictures, and everything, ind lots of times the newspapers (Cont. on Page 2) “SPEEDY” 24 SHEET | ; . PUBLICITY PURVEY! HAVE FLARE Ft | This stunt ere |the world premiere of a picture. Ayres nominal ;}on beaverboard — |} around radiator: ;/mencing with @ your filing 5) yours is lar work in J —A CATS “M GROSSES One of the @ Manager J. P. Hal ing ‘“‘The Cat ang the Publix Hippe Waco, Tex., was | 200 cats. me © The newspaper ED! 200 full-grow 10c apiece if deli drome from 4 P, Saturday. No hart to the cats.” fy Although Ha : reach his goal of © newspaper ad was to insure his havin to work out a stunt. * Knowing the natur to go home once let Id was tagged and set at! urday midnight: the 4 tag read, “Help Me O I am just a poor cat to the Hippodrome | 10c and was. put im house in THE G4 | CANARY, but it ig even a cat so I @ I am trying to fing home. If you are® ed take a tip from away from the Hips the showing of THE CANARY.” | comment and 300 cat cut-oul Manual Trainiz School for 1] holes were pune center of the be the insertion of” which eventually mobiles. The — printed boards F CAT AND Nov. 4,” me, 2.000 herais practically the | beaverboard tributed at a I the dav of the 7 A midnight” the regular ruy gether with a pi ture. The ro was dressed it ion suit dy to represent black eye and cept dull gree vette, the sie across the stag hind the drop” The skeleto: other part of down by a tab bottomless bot hole in the tal light to bri When skeli tle, a heavy @ powder was with the same ti