Publix Opinion (Mar 28, 1930)

4 TIE-UP ALL THEATRES BENEFIT BY NEW PLAN -. Publix theatres in 300 cities; -. will receive a free full page news paper ad each week as a result of a tie-up just completed by the Home Office advertising department with John D. Boyle, Inc., and the Associated Advertising Agencies of New York City. In return for mezzanine, foyer, lobby or grand lounge space devoted to various industrial exhibits and merchandise displays, two full pages of advertising will be purchased weekly by merchants, one of them used ‘exclusively for exploitation of the theatre’s attraction, the other tying up with the display. Representatives of the Boyle concern, which is associated with 300 agencies throughout the country, will contact district managers and through them will approach theatre managers with the proposition. The tie-up was initiated by Lou Goldberg, supervisor of publicity for Milton Feld’s division, and approved by A. M. Botsford, director of advertising, who has written letters to the field explaining its advantages and operation. Flexible Tie-Up “The tie-up is flexible to the nth degree,’ these letters state, “It is entirely dependent on the approval of both district and theatre managers in each instance. But it gives each theatre the opportunity of procuring for each week's display a full page advertisement, to contain nothing but copy on the theatre’s attraction, plus another page calling attention to the industrial display.’’ The Boyle representative will make all arrangements for the display with women’s apparel stores, men’s shops, radio stores, electrical appliance merchants, drug stores, gift shops, department stores, public utility concerns or banks. PUBLIX RESERVES THE RIGHT, HOWEVER, TO O. K. OR REJECT ALL DISPLAYS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF GOOD TASTE AND INTEREST TO THE ‘PUBLIC. The full page ad contributed to the use of the theatre each week can be utilized as four quarter pages and can be distributed between two or more newspapers. The theatre prepares its own copy and sells whatever it desires to sell in this space. Nothing but a credit card near each exhibit is promised to the merchant under this scheme. There will be no screen credit given and no sniping in regular theatre advertisements or house organs. All Expense Paid The tie-up is just as advantageous to the smaller theatres as to deluxe operations, since no great space is required for the exhibits and no particular location in lobbies, foyers, lounges or mezzanines has been promised. In fact, every latitude has been given the managers in determining the quality, interest and location of these displays. All expense in addition to cost of the advertising, of course, also will. be met by the merchant, just as if the exhibit were being prepared for his own window. The plan, if proper co-operation is extended to the local Boyle representatives, gives each theatre the chance to obtain 52 interesting ‘merchandise displays, with their accompanying 52 pages of free advertising, each year. NAME CHANGE The change in name from the Seattle Theatre to the Paramount was accomplished at a minimum of cost through the use of -excellent ads prior to and shortly after the name change. Teaser ads helped accomplish this successfully. ® PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF MARCH 281n, 1930 MANAGERS’ Theatre Illumination The questions appearing below are designed as a selfquiz for all anxious to improve their standing in show manship through self-education. Get information on _ those things you do not know. Don’t lose out through indolence—the motion picture industry is progressing too rapidly for stick-in-the-muds! QUESTIONS 1. In ordering lamps, what four essentials must be specified? 2. What three factors determine ‘the quality of lamps? 8. What is the average burning life of a lamp? 4. To what lamps does this average not refer? 5. What is the average color permanency of the different colored lamps? 6. Why is it not cheaper to use lamps whose life is longer than standard lamps? Be 7. What lamps should not be burned base up or at an angle? 8, What is the difference between frosted, sprayed, dipped, and natural colored lamps, and in what colors are each available from the manufacturer? 9. Are all natural and sprayed lamps of the same standard type and color identical in color? 10. Why is money wasted in using projector lamps for spot lights? ANSWERS 1. Type and shape of bulb, wattage, voltage, color-base type. 2. Cost, life, lumen outfit. 8. 1,000 hours. 4, Spot lamps and projection lamps which burn 200 hours and 50 hours respectively. 5, Natural colored most permanent. Dip and sprayed lamps— poor permanency. : 6. Although the life of the lamp is longer, more current is used giving less illumination and lower efficiency. 7. All Mogul Based Lamps, Spotlight lamps, and projector lamps. 8. Frosted: Sand blast—-etched inside or outside—clear—no color. Sprayed: Color sprayed on at factory. Dipped: Lamps dipped locally in analine dyes. Natural color: Color inherent in glass, visible filament. Frosted available in clear, special lamps in color; spray —red, yellow, blue, green, amber, orange; dipped lamps available in any color. Natural colors—red, blue, amber, green. 9. No. 10. Shorter life at higher cost. MERCHANT TIE-UP FOR TRADE WEEK Manager Willis Grist, Jr., tied in’ with Merchants Spring Trade Week to exploit ‘(General Crack’ playing at the Publix-Carolina Theatre, Greenville, S. C. Over 40 merchants observed the four-day event—offering unusual bargains through the papers daily, also mentioning theatre attraction, attendance, etc. The tie-up also netted the theatre publicity in daily newspaper stories. By doing this, Grist figures on being able to make several worthwhile tie-ups with many of these merchants at a later date. Buddy Rogers Makes. Disc for Columbia Charles ‘“‘Buddy’. Rogers has recorded “Any Time’s the Time to Fall in Love” and “Sweeping. the Clouds Away,’ from ‘Paramount on Parade,” for Columbia. This record, #2145D, will be released April 15th. Rogers sings and plays a number of instruments, introducing himself to the listener on one side, making the record an ideal ballyhoo medium. Columbia has prepared streamers and a special letter to dealers in connection with the record, states Morris Press of the Paramount Music Department. | Dlaced in 3,000 homes. Radio Merchants Co-operate in El Paso Resorting to intensive exploitation methods in advertising ‘‘The Love Parade” at the Publix Ellanay Theatre, El Paso, Texas, Manager Carlos Freis distributed heralds and rotogravure tabloids throughout the town and secured window displays, Philco merchant ads and free broadcasting facilities. An eight truck parade, with a 28 piece band at the head, was also staged. Prior to the opening of the picture, 5,000 heralds were distributed to patrons of the theatre, at merchant’s stores and cooking school booths. Rotos were Five special Phileo dealer windows were |secured, displaying Chevalier cut outs, and copy on picture, star, theatre and playdates. Two hours of exclusive ‘‘Love Parade’’ broadcasting was included on the Philco tie-up. In addition, three local Phileo dealers devoted one hour, | each week, on the local broadcasting station, to advertise the picture and the Philco radio. On the opening day, Manager Fries promoted a double page spread in the El Paso Post, limiting the layout to Philco dealers. The newspaper gave the theatre 68 inches of free space, which was put to advantage as a heading across both pages. BOOKS BEAUTIES _ When a bevy of Latin-American beauties passed through Panama en route to a beauty contest in Miami, Messrs. Novak and Wardlaw of the Paramount exchange there arranged for personal appearances of the group at the Cecilia Theatre, in conjunction with the showing of ‘‘Glorifying the American Girl.’ : Stars Telegrams Aid Picture Attendance _ J. J. Dempsey, manager of the Strand, Dorchester, Mass., localizes interest in stars and pictures by having Arch Reeve send telegrams from the coast, on coming pictures, with remarks as to se quences, songs, etc. The name of the star of the picture is used as the sender of the telegram. This stunt was suggested in a former issue of Publix Opinion. in Exploiting | ‘Hit the Deck’ Madeline Woods, Publicity Director of the Publix-Great States division points to ‘‘Hit the Deck’”’ as a picture offering unusual exploitation possibilities. She suggests, however, that all decorative schemes utilized in connection with the picture should carry out the syncopation idea as well as the marine atmosphere, to avoid the suggestion that it is a war picture. “There are a dozen natural tieups on ‘Hit the Deck,’”’ she states in her bulletin to managers on the picture. ‘‘One with the Life-Saver people, who are plugging a new orange life saver now, should be easy. ‘Hit the Deck’ was a smash musical comedy hit, and lends it ‘self to the $6.60 ticket stunt. “Operations which are in coast, river or lake cities can capitalize on the exploitation which all concerns handling motor boats and other water craft are emphasizing at this time of the year.” , Free Windows The manufacturer of “Joy Synth” brilliantine spent $600 for the services of window trimmers, paid printing and engraving bills of $75, and allowed some large stores extra merchandise in return for window space, all to obtain 300 of the window displays shown below in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. It didn’t cost Harry McWilliams, who made the tie-up, a cent in cash or a single pass. GETS FULL PAGE AD EACH WEEK SELF QUIZ? || Avoid War Angle|WINDOW TIE-UP CINCHED WITH TRICK COPY Tricky copy, tying up coming pictures with the merchant’s product, cinched 100 displays each in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, and 100 additional ones for smaller towns in Texas, for Harry K. MeWilliams. No star’s endorsement was required and there was no cost whatever to the theatre in either cash or passes... The maker of the product paid for the engraving and printing, as well as for the ‘complete installation of the displays. strated in the adjoining column. MeWilliams obtained these dis‘plays by contacting a growing, aggressive window display service. Through this contact he is approaching national manufacturers as well as local accounts. Some direct letter copy, written by McWilliams and used by the window display service, interests the merchants in making their displays timely and putting local interest into them by tying up with theatre attractions or personalities of the theatre or screen. Arrangements are being made with the associated window trimmers in various Texas cities, so an account can be handled for the entire territory, or in as many cities as desired, through the single contact. PRIZES DONATED AT BRIDGE PARTY ‘A front page story, titled ‘‘Most Brilliant Social Affair of the Season” appeared in the Hope, Arkansas, local paper, one day after Matt Press, manager of the Saenger Theatre sponsored a bridge party for the feminine patrons. The affair proved so successful that more than 200 women from Hope, as well as the surrounding country attended. Prizes donated by 91 of the 103 merchants in the town, were promoted through the efforts of Press. THEATRE RESEATED The Washington Street Olympia, in Boston, will close on April 13 for re-seating purposes, and will undergo slight alterations and minor repairs at the same time. It will re-open Saturday morning, April 19. Sound Suggestion At the suggestion of J. J. Fitzgibbons, divisional director of New England, J. F. Lacey, district maintenance supervisor, has reprinted, on an 8x10-inch cardboard, a sound checking article which appeared in the January 17, 1930 issue of Pub lix Opinion, page two. Three copies are being sent to each theatre, with instruc tions to hang one copy in the booth, one in the manager’s office and one back-stage. The article was titled ‘‘Instruc tions for Daily Checking of Projection and Sound Routine to be Observed by Manager of Theatre.” : A typical display is illu-. ¥