Publix Opinion (Dec 6, 1929)

PROFIT DRIVE WORKS UP TO BIG CLIMAX (Continued from Page One) Publix is swinging along in a mighty wave toward that epoch making goal of the film industry > —peak box-office month in Decem _ ber. — operation. _ KEEP GOING! An indication of the éager alertness of Publix showmen may be seen in the avidity with which every tip or suggestion mentioned in PUBLIX OPINION is snatched up, put into effect or improved upon, and sent back to us a few days later in the form of tear sheets, photos and reports of stunts accomplished. This is particularly true of the free merchant co-op “Shop and Send Harly” ad, and the post-office tie-up, examples of which are shown elsewhere in this issue. Mr. Katz hopes to see at least 500 co-op pages. In order that you might have plenty of ammunition to keep the battle raging hot and heavy thruout the month, PUBLIX OPINION is furnishing you on this page with some more tips and suggestions for the Drive. Work EACH ONE of them if you can! If you can’t, work as many of them as are applicable to your type of The main thing is to You’re doing fine DON’T LET DOWN! so far! Palace Theatre Marion, Ohio Another manager to make use * of the picture comment contest is | | ‘9 a ; ‘ ; y et) ‘ — SS Bert Bickert. He is offering cash prizes for the best 50 word comments on all the pictures that run in December. A patron missing one of the pictures is just that much handicapped in the contest. To make it easy for many patrons to participate, printed forms containing the ‘meat’ of the current attraction, and adyertising coming ones, are distributed at every performance. These forms have ruled lines for the comments and are meant to be left at the theatre after the show. Announcement of the prize winners will not be made until the second week in January so that attendance to the theatre will be pushed all during the month of ' December. It is suggested that ’ at least two of the judges be con nected with the press. Publix-Dent Theatres Albine, Texas Taking advantage of the buga-boo of poorly wrapped parcels during Christmas, Milton Overman has established a~ parcel wrapping and checking station. Wrappers and packages from | co-operating merchants inform ' customers of this fact. So im’ pressed hasthe post-office been | by this stunt that a veteran ’ clerk has been placed. at the wrapping station to accept par> cels for mailing and give advice ' as to wrapping. Coffee, tea, and wafers are served (tie-up with _ wholesaler). Jacksonville, Fla. Wallace Allen SA toy display in theatre lobby aged by largest department store miown. Have it so placed that foirs to it will have to purchase els. ifie-up with department stores i that persons finishing their ping need not wait for their PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 6ru, 1929 3 HERE YOUR ARE, BOYS! MORE CHRISTMAS TIPS! WHOOPEE! ANOTHER ONE}! Bob Kelley and his hustling staff of exploiteers in Dallas, Texas lost no time in putting PUBLIX.OPINION’S post-office tie-up suggestion for the December Drive into effect and this is the re sult. to get ten window displays. \ packages but can go to the theatre and find packages waiting for them at the check room after the show. store publicity. Theatre and Home Office Irving Singer The large elementary school population in every city makes a tie-up seem advisable. A series of composition contests on the pictures shown at Publix Theatres during the early weeks of December is proposed by Singer. The co-operation of teachers and principals would of course have to be secured first, but if the contest could be made city-wide, it would be highly profitable. The plan would work best for theatres having one change a week but might even be prac ticable where there are two or three. It is suggested that the judges be the theatre manager and some of the teachers. Nothing is said about prizes but doubtless cooperation with merchants and the newspapers would make it possible for the theatre to secure those at no cost to itself. Publix Theatres Dallas, Texas In addition to the post-office tieup shown on this page, Bob Kelley reports the following progress in his December Drive Campaign: Sub-station for mailing packages at Melba mezzanine, all set. Under direction of Post Office, which furnishes man in charge. Starts two weeks advance of Christmas. Theatre furnishes wrapping paper and tea and cookies for shoppers. Hostess and tea furnished by dealer, with no plug except small ecard on table, and no talk on tea by hostess. (Set) Cartoon of Ellard and Muth CHRIS MEET JIMMY” with the same copy and cut of Ellard. For other details of the extensive December Drive campaign put on by these Dallas showmen, see “Dallas, Texas’? box below. Malls done by cartoonist from Post Office, with their arms loaded down with packages. To be run in local paper first of next week five weeks before Christmas. (Working) Arranged through Mr. Botsford to have wire from Mr. Katz to effect that all Publix employees as representative citizens should, in their respective communities, cooperate with Post Office Department and do their Christmas mailing early, for newspaper break and lobby display. New York date-line stories on early shopping campaign already planted and run in local papers. (Working) Get pictures of local theatre personalities, with their arms full of packages, including Muth, Ellard, and Charninsky for feature stories in local papers, tieing in shop early gag. (To be planted) Tie up with local daily to have kids write their Santa Claus letters to Santa in theatre lobby. Letters to be turned over to paper for publication. (Working) Publix Theatres Nebraska, Iowa NS eee AK Or ae Rane Nee aes eee A “Most Courteous Salesgirl” contest is being planned by Lionel H. Wasson. Various prizes contributed by the stores would be given to the winner at the W orld Theatre, Omaha, on Christmas Eve. All Omaha theatres to enter into an arrangement with the Camp Fire Girls of the state to distribute discarded toys brought to the theatres by children using them as admission price during special matinees. Camp Fire Girls to take care of publicity, fumigating and repairing the toys. Publix Thornes Amarillo, Texas Will R. Winch suggests that a “Shop Early’—‘‘Good Picture’ campaign be run with the thought By tying up with the local postmaster, 1,000 of these 22 x 28 cards in red, green and white, were put out by the Post Office Department, carried on all mail trucks, and prominently placed in the main post office and sub-stations throughout the town. Each mailman was ordered Also, all clerks and postmen are wearing red and green ribbon badge immy ELLARD { D : = Shops Early and — Do Your 4) TMAS MAILING WB.Luna POSTMASTER AT THE PALACE that .early shopping will give people more leisure and that good pictures will bring them to the theatres. In the advertising copy, not only should there be a listing of:the present features but also of past and coming ones with the phrase, ‘“‘Confucius said, ‘To learn the future, study the past!”’ Publix Theatres Lowell, Mass. Messrs. O'Donnell, Silver, and Perkins, of the Rialto, Merrimack Square, and Strand Theatres report the organizatiton of a “Shop Early, Buy in Lowell, and attend a Publix Theatre Drive’ with the | Chamber of Commerce, the newspapers, and the mayor co-operating. In addition to advertising copy paid for by the merchants which will carry this slogan, shopping bags containing the Publix seal will be given to shoppers who come to the theatres and check their parcels. Of course checking is free. A direct mail drive is being made on 15,000 persons living within a radius of a few miles. The list was furnished by the Chamber of Commercé and contains only the names of automobile owners. Posters will be placed.im government post offices. Publix-Kunsky, Detroit Art Schmidt Let the stores know that the theatres are giving them valuable help on the screen by using copy on ‘“Shopper’s Matinee,’ ‘Shop Early,” and special December shows. Then get them to help you by newspaper display copy preaching the same message, by using stuffers in mailing lists, and by permitting you to use truck cards, displays in stores, shopping news, bulletins, radio, etc. Conduct a ‘Happy Shopper’s Smiles’’ contest with the theatre master of ceremonies acting as judge, and theatre tickets as prizes. Pictures of smiling faces made in crowds every day and published in the newspaper. The winners identify themselves for prizes. This gets publicity for Dec. attractions, and for the m. ¢. Tie-up with theatre on ‘“‘Shop Early’ and contests. Have the papers include copy on theatre attractions in the promotional ads. A few theatte tickets given away as weekly prizes will get the current December attractions listed in the ads. Contests either for best letters on ‘‘Why I shop early”’ or hidden name contest. ; Paramount, West Coast Arch Reeve Is there a Santa Claus? A contest about two weeks before Xmas with newspaper tie-ups in which contestants would write letters proving that there is a Santa Claus ought to go big. Only condition of the contest is that only children under twelve years of age may participate and they must write the letters themselves. : Prizes would be a three months’ pass for the best and single pairs of passes for minor prizes. A Saturday morning show for all contestants might also bé arranged. Photographers are busy advertising their art during the pre-holiday season. Many of their ads contain. reproductions of photographs. Theatre managers might be able to effect tieups whereby striking photo graphs of Paramount players’ would be carried in the ads, selling the idea that this photographer’s work compares with the high-priced theatrical photographers used by nationally known stars. Palace Theatre Canton, Ohio eal Seinen 2 meen Gnas ss 8 eae bee A comprehensive plan of attack for the Christmas evil has been worked out Manager W. C. Davidson. Among the items included are a parking tie-up with direct mail campaign addressed to a large list notifying public of parking convenience, checking convenience at the theatre, and the programs for the month. Twothirds of cost paid by parking station. Furthermore, special Monday performances have been arranged for high school classes and lodges. A third item is a working girl’s contest with a local newspaper tie-up. Fourth, an institutional campaign with stories and cuts to be run by the leading paper once a week. These will include program and schedules. There is also a toy tie-up with a newspaper on special matinees. Herb Elisburg Publix-B & K Fearing that Santa Claus may have taken patrons from the box office during past Christmas weeks, the managers on the Publix-Balaban and Katz Greater Talkie circuit are now planning to enlist the aid of the venerable old man themselves. ; The theatre. doormen will be dressed as Santas and parents will be advised to bring their kiddies to the theatres to see him. -The doormen will also tour the city in autos bearing a banner reading that Santa is on his way to the merchants to get presents for the theatre Christmas tree. Besides playing up Santa Claus, storekeepers will be sold blocks of theatre tickets at regular rates which will distribute to patrons buying a certain amount of goods. In addition contributions for street decorations paid for by merchants in various communities are being collected by the theatre managers. A special tie-up has been ef= (Continued on page Five)