Publix Opinion (Dec 13, 1929)

Ace BAe Cua cla an bik haat 6 PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 13rTu, 1929 NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION TIE-UP GETS FREE PAGES Here is a great newspaper stunt from Madeline Woods. The newspaper receives tickets from the theatre, which in turn are given by the newspaper as a gift to the rural subscribers. One ticket is given for one month subscription—two tickets for three months’ subscription—and four tickets for a six months’ subscrip tion, etc. The number given depends, of course, upon the size of the newspaper and the activities of the circulation department. Every time a sufficient number of tickets have been given away to represent the cost of a newspaper page, the paper gives the theatre a full page ad free of charge. The copy can be anything the theatre chooses. The stunt has been confined to rural subscribers, but, of course, is applicable if you like to city circulation as well. ’ This can be worked out in another way, whereby the newspaper buys the tickets from the theatre at a discount and uses them as awards. . Of course, this would eliminate the free page of advertising. It also can be worked out by the theatre receiving a quarter page free ad periodically—that is, if you do not care to wait until the sales are sufficient to entitle you to an entire page. By having the newspaper give these tickets to rural subscribers, you not only are benefitted by the full page free ad, but furthermore, when people from the surrounding towns come to the theatre with these free tickets, they invariably bring others with them who buy tickets. Besides, it attracts to the theatre a number of farmers who seldom go to the shows and, of course, once they are in the theatre and see ads for coming attrac tions, they become interested. It is very important that the tickets used in this way should: be a special ticket—one that cannot be easily counterfeited. On the back or at the bottom of the ticket, there should be a place for the holder’s name or address. Thus, periodically, the manager ean check these tickets and check them against the circulation records, making sure that the newspaper has not been promiscuous in the distribution of the tickets. In other words, the circulation manager cannot very easily pass these tickets out among his friends instead of holding them for rural subscribers. Of course, anyone holding a ticket can put a fictitious name and a rural address on it, and get away with it, but this would involve going to the newspaper office so that the name and the address would be authentic, because the manager of the theatre has the privilege of checking his tickets against the newspaper circulation records. This was found very important in one town where the manager had not checked the records until he became suspicious of the number of tickets that were coming into the theatre. Newspapers usually like the plan and of course, there is nothing on the page ad to indicate that it is free. It gives managers a good chance to use institutional copy and advertise a lot of big coming attractions. Manager Gus Eyssell, of the Express and the Times. By order of Sarh Katz, pres i throughout the country will as early ag possible, STORIES THAT SELL lost no time in spreading the good word about town on PUBLIX SHOP EARLY drive. These clippings are from The Daily News, the Note that two of these stories carry Publix prominently in the head and list the attractions, which is what a perfect publicity story should be like. PUBLIX HOUSES PLAN .TO | AID SANTA’S CO-WORKERS| Local" Publix theaters will-do their | Share this year to relieve-the tired, | ing crowds, aching ‘feet of distracted shopgirls, mail carriers and expressmen, who j ident, |} more. than 1200 Publix theaters the public to buy and mail all gifts Paramount Theatre, Los Angeles, “Welcome Danger,” is now attract-. The Unit showing Gloria Swanson’s Both the Paramount and United’ Artists theaterg in Los Angeles are’ ‘and avoid the last minute rush.” i pictures of the year, theaters Publix tor Local vs this yoar " n urging i} papers in ure ft rt mail! all gifts as ween, » \ «i na i ASSEN ia ARBs Si BP i sas NI thai Re ity NE eg aE A urging their patrons to “shop early } In order to get shoppers to come ito town at this time ‘to do their | Christmas shopping, ‘these. theaters are playing the most outstanding * -At the Paramount, Harold Lloyd | Hin his first. all-talking comedy, al et : e Tush, © the uel sete UR, er, j Te-Yuletig’? Weare OBrien ed r sh ° C Mal last FAY WRAY AIDED SANTA This is the manner in which the Christmas tie-up with the post office was handled in Los Angeles. Pretty Fay Wray posed for the pictures, demonstrating instructions issued by the postmaster on the proper ways to wrap and address packages for mailing. This stunt, designed to exploit the Paramount picture, “Pointed Heels,” is similar to the one recommended by PUBLIX OPINION to managers of Publix Theatres, except that the “mail early” angle is not mentioned here. SUNDAY CONCERT DRAWS IN BOSTON The first of a series of Sunday concerts at the Publix Metropolitan Theatre, Boston, was inaugurated Sunday, November 24. Guiseppe Creatore, the first Guest Conductor, also remained for the following Sunday, December 1. There were 1,100 people in the house for the beginning of the con certs where formerly, the Sunday attendance in the afternoon never exceeded 300 or 400 people. To judge by the enthusiastic applause this concert received, it indicates a very successful Sunday concert season. | The Music Department is now negotiating with a number of other prominent possibilities as Guest Conductors including Henry Hadley, Damrosch, Schelling and others of equal reputation. letter or memo. The other thing is the WILL YOU??? Two special things you can do that will make a big difference in expediting your affairs in Publix, should be kept in mind with great benefit to everyone. One of these things is in writing letters or reports. Not more than one subject should be covered in a given This is because circumstances may require that a letter or memo be forwarded thru several different individuals or departments concerned only with the matter in hand. Obviously anything else in the letter would not only uselessly take up valuable reading time, but would also stand a great chance of being lost in the shuffle. Briefly told reports handled in this manner get the quickest and surest action. signatures typed and then written in pen and ink above or below the typed name. PUBLIX OPINION often receives mail signed in some trick manner, and this of course requires a lot of guessing or investigatiing to find out who wrote it. desirability of having your This assures legibility. Educator Says Movies Should Be Helpful Motion pictures were given a decided boost and _ present-day educational methods a slam, in an address by Dr. Goodwin B. Watson, associate professor of education, Columbia University, in an address delivered recently at a conference of parents‘and teachers of New York City, held under the auspices of the Teachers’ College of Columbia University and the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. Dr. Watson’s _statements are indicative of the increasingly high opinion in which motion pictures are held by prominent educators. Urging support on the part of parent-teacher associations for reforms which would result in the teaching of how to deal with the vital problems of life in a practical way, Dr. Watson advocated more dependence upon the motion picture, in theatres and schools, as a means of child education. “For every hour that a chi}*” 3 spends reading Browning.” 100 Watson said, ‘‘he will spend . hours at motion picture shov therefore followed, he d that judicious use of mot? tures, which children eas derstand, should form a nu portant part of the edu system of the future.