Publix Opinion (Nov 29, 1929)

PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF NOVEMBER 29Tu, 1929 BETTER, CHEAPER SIGNS Here are specimens of the new “stud lighting” sign idea evolved in Chicago, details of which are set forth in an adjoining column. Attention grabbing signs at two-thirds the old cost is the scheme. No. 1 is the “Broadway” sign at the Oriental; No. 2, “Hollywood Revue,” at McVickers; No. 3, “Sherlock Holmes,” at the Chicago; No. 4, “Gold Diggers,” at the Roosevelt, and No. 5, institutional signs at the Central Park. COMBAT MONDAY | SLUMP THIS WAY [| Manager Robert Slote of the @ Publix Hastman Theatre, Roches§ ter, N. Y., has hit upon the effective idea of encouraging theatre parties at his house by holding special nights for factories, depart Here are details of the new ment stores, colleges and fraternal electrical displays with which the organizations. At these performPublix-Balaban & Katz Theatres : bles ances several hundred feet of reel in Chicago are cutting costs and Bs are shown, in addition to the reggelling their programs with at ular show, pertaining particularly least 50 per cent greater adverto and paid for by, that organizatising efficiency. tion. These theatre parties have Some five weeks ago the Pubappreciably added to his gross, belix-Balaban & Katz advertising ing set for his low days if possible. staff at one of their regular ThursSome of the theatre parties alday morning conferences which ready set, and the tickets involved Ww. K. Hollander, director of adare: Daughters of American Revvertising, has instituted, laid out es 5 eee oe soa a campaign of electrical displays ee aS age o. eta reas ed for the front of the theaters which 54 ts 2 = se Ca ee e . ae Lia it was hoped would loose a new ; Bausca omb, . ‘spirit of excitement and exhiliration about the ‘‘fronts.”’ Calling . Ihert 1 in Joe Causal, chief electrician of ew Claudette Colbert im : the firm, the following plan was 7 es Next Chevalier Film evolved: Standard ‘“transparencies’’— -poxes in which electric lights burned through transparent ma terial bearing attraction copy—— were to: be discarded. Livelier, prighter and smarter electrical displays were to be made, even if, e as was then expected, the cost ran higher. ‘Stud Lighting’ ~ Cuts Cost of Good Signs Claudette Colbert, who made so fine an impression in “The Lady Lies’? and who speaks French fluently, will play opposite Maurice Chevalier in his forthcoming ‘‘The Big Pond.” The entire cast of the production will be able to express themselves both in English and in| French making possible a bi-lin7 gual recording. 4 =e et NN A si rections may be given to YOU to , canopy to the front of the house be put into effect in YOUR thea| are the wires which connect with ter. the flasher machine which can be secreted inside the lobby or on top of the canopy. Attract Attention The result was that large signs were made for ““under-canopy”’ ‘displays, larger than on the for“mer “transparencies,” and placed on both sides of long wooden boxes in which were contained electric wiring. Fach letter of the -signs was drilled for electric sock ets—for ‘‘stud-lighting” as it is called. Properly wired to ‘‘flashers’’—apparatus which flashes current on and off in varying speeds —the signs drew astonishing attention from near and far. The whole area under the canopy was brightened and pepped-up. Then when the displays were complete, it was discovered that with all their superior attractions and. effect, they cost fully 33% _ less to operate than had the stand ard “transparencies.” The gain _ in advertising value was by tests 4 ‘ fully 50 per cent greater and yet } . the expense had been sliced by a . third. Based on the experience of the Do It This Way Have your poster man make his sign exactly as for a flat display, A letters larger if anything, copy Not Much Weight prief. Have your house electrician The total weight of the whole drill holes thirteen-sixteenths of | display is not considerable, since an inch in diameter every two it has a light wooden box structand one-half inches center to cen| ure whose two faces are thin cardter in these letters, following the board—and the weight of the design and keeping to the center |lamps and sockets is slight. of each letter. Fix sockets in “Plasher”’ machines which cost these holes—using socket No. around $45 in a size capable of 6000 P.S. intermediate base. This |amply servicing these new ‘‘studsize hole will grip the socket snuglighting’’ signs, are good for years ly ~ and prevent wobbling. In of constant use. In ordering these sockets use 10 watt lamps, “flasher” machines the “‘One-tonumber S11 intermediate base. Three” type of current rotation Wire each word separately in orhas been found best for the averder to get fullest effect from the | ase use. Another advantage of ‘“flasher.’? Sometimes, for variety, “fasher” is that it needs no servwire different letters differently in | ice. Tt operates automatically, each word so that a whirling ef| once started. fect may be obtained. In other Sockets ean be used over and words experiment in order to get | over, the minimum service being novelty into your display. for six weeks. Salvage extends to : Publix-Balaban .& Katz advertisConcealed by flat cardboard posthe lamps also, the only loss being ‘ing department the following di-| ters stretching from under the |the wires and cardboard signs. The wooden box framework can | a ae be employed for months before wearing out. BULL’S EYE | The signs such as are used in ad Publix-Balaban & Katz Theatres, ; as per illustrations on this page, This animated poster on “Sweetie” proved an effective advance are wired and put up by two men display in the lobby of the Paramount Theatre in Detroit. The head in three hours time from the minof Nancy Carroll is stationary and the background is a whirling wheel ute poster copy arrives for the with three colors in glitter, used in the same manner as the animated ets work of drilling socket i|, displays seen in opticians’ windows. This produces varying illusions at 4 _ different speeds. A spot light flashing on the display gives additional About the Cost Such a sign as any shown in the animation to the wheel. illustrations cost only the art work done by poster artists. Electrician’s labor and electrical materials, including everything, amount to $8 a letter. For example the sign “Sherlock Holmes’ at the Chicago Theatre cost $112 for electrical work, which plus $45 for art work, brings the total cost to $167 or less than $24 a day for the week. Or the ‘“‘Broadway” sign, as used at the Oriental Theater in Chicago, cost approximately $100. Labor cost is probably lower in your town. Add to this the saving accomplished over “transparency” signs in reduced electrical current, and something of the economy of this super-advertising service becomes apparent. A careful check-up shows that “stud-lighting’ signs use a third less ‘juice’ than the old transparencies. Flashing on and off, with words and letters alternating, there is an immense amount of time, considering the evening as a whole, in which each bulb is dark. Furthermore, smaller lamps are used in these signs than in transparencies. In the latter larger lamps were necessary to burn through the opaque material, and yet they could never achieve the “eye-smashing”’ power of the new “stud-lighting”’ attraction signs. TIP BRINGS RESULTS Following the suggestion in PUBLIX OPINION of October 11, M. L. Elewitz, publicity director for the Paramount Theatre in Omaha, planted the story, “Talkies Boost Film Stars’ Fan Mail”. The reproduction below, from The Omaha Bee-News, is self explanatory. Mr. Elewitz found the still in the office files. “I want to thank you for the suggestion, he writes, “It proves beyond a doubt what can be done with PUBLIX OPINION’S tps. ee sideman euccpaarermmmarer acai Talkies have trebled Clara Bow’s fan mail. 3 Here are just a few of the ‘begging’ letters she has received since Hollywood ‘became vocal. Clara will come to Omaha next Thursday. in ‘The Saturday Night Kid’’ at the Paramount theater.