Publix Opinion (Aug 1, 1930)

oe onl ——— READING HABITS BEST ADS, SAYS BOTSFORD Noting the modern advertising trend away from typographic sanity and anxious to keep buyers and creators of Publix advertising from making the same costly errors, A. M. Botsford, issued a statement on the subject which strongly urges a closer study of the reading habits of the nation and an attempt to meet them in all advertising, “Tn our efforts to teach the men in the field as thoroughly as possible, the technical aspects of advertising,” declared Mr. Botsford, “we have emphasized in past issues of Publix Opinion the structural elements of typography, layout, and engraving. Now I notice that dozens of our ads are prepared with too careful an eye for excellence of form and appearance and not nearly enough thought to ways and means of getting the message across, “There is one thing that must never be lost sight of in the preparation of any advertisement, no matter how humble. Hvery ad is a message. It is printed or is cast into the form of a trailer that it may be read by prospects. The ad is a failure if the message does not get across. The typography is poor, the layout is poor if they do not help the reader get the message in the quickest possible time. “The message will not get across until the copy is read. The copy will not be read if its appearance does not appeal to the reader. What will appeal? “Of one thing we are certain. The ad for mat that is most in keeping with the reading habit of ythe nation: will most easily be read! Reading Habits “From the years of childhood to maturity, people build up reading habits as well as habits of action. In schools they read textbooks set in traditional type, and in traditional form. “After leaving school they read newspapers and books of fiction. They read without thinking about typography, layout, paper, binding or any of the other elements of the printer’s craft. “But in the past few years there has been a revolution in advertising make-up. The modernism of painting, architecture, and interior decoration was carried over into the printing crafts. New type faces were designed, new layouts were made, and finished ads began to look beautiful and artistic, but people read them less and less. Naturally so, for these new advertising designs in most cases, violated the reading habits of years. \ : “Jn all probability, people today look at more ads than they ever did because they are pleasant things to see. But the ads mean less because they have lost their power of speech: It is as if going to a lecture hall to listen to a speech, we find to our astonishMent that the speaker is s0 artistically arrayed that it is more Pleasing to watch him than to listen. This is a form of decadence—and the most extreme of modern advertising is decadent advertising, concerned more with form than ~with content. Keep Ads Vigorous Motion picture advertising is in no danger of reaching this stage, but in copying such advertising it is losing the vigor that characterized earlier selling messages. Cutting through all the finery and frumpery of artistic typography and layout, we must get back to he reading habits of the nation. a What are people accustomed “Copy set in blocks and paragraphs with ample white space, and sufficient contrast between the background and the type blackness to make legibility easy: “Copy set in type that is fairly large for display matter ‘and easily readable for text matter. “Copy set in straight lines across a page rather than copy running up hill, down hill or jumping across illustrations. “People are accustomed to the traditional methods of getting emphasis, and react to them. They like to see the first line of each paragraph indented, ample space between paragraphs to make them stand out, and an occasional paragraph indented or in boldface. Breaking up text in this fashion makes even a long message seem one that can be mastered easily. For Punch “And for delivering the punch of the story, these old standbys are good — use of asterisks, brackets, etc., words, lines and paragraphs in italics, boldface, capitals, or underlined, and judicious variations in size and font of type throughout the ad. “There are no single rules making the perfect ad. But this simple test must be applied to every ad that is paid for with Publix funds—is the’ message in such form that it gets across?” Oil Company’s Heralds Help Exploit ‘The Texan’ Texas Company, distributor of Texaco oil products, campaigned “The Texan” for Manager U. K. Rice of the Carolina, WinstonSalem. Company bought and distributed numbered heralds; certain numbers posted in the lobby were good for guest tickets. “Wanted—Llano Kid’’ posters were put up by the Texas Co., at all their filling stations. GOLF AIDS In Houston, Texas, the miniature golf courses are effectively used to circulate current attraction heralds, in the form of score cards. Six local courses and the Metropolitan Theatre split the cost of printing 5,000 score cards, weekly. PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF AUGUST Ist, BASIS FOR (CATCHY TUNE FOR AUG. 9TH RADIO HOUR The Paramount Publix orchestra, under the direction of Paul Ash, again will offer a program of dance music on their regular weekly hour next Saturday night (August 9) at 10 P. M. (BH. D. S. T.) from station WABC, New York, and over the coast-to-coast network of the Columbia Broadcasting System. Also on the program will be Paul Small, tenor; Jesse Crawford, organist and the Foursome Quartet. The Complete Program:— “Rarin’ To Go” “St James Infirmary” “So Beats My Heart” “Lucky Boy” “Song of the Islands” Wish I Could Sing A Love “Red Hot Chicago” “Ro-Ro-Rolling Along” “Joe Razz” “Yd Fall In Love All Over Again” “Thank Your Father” “Gypsy Love Song” Jesse Crawford “Tt Seems To Be Spring” ‘Up And At 'Em"” Hits of Yesterday “I Don’t Need Atmosphere” MAKING PATRONS OUT OF VISITORS Lake Michigan and other features of the city attract many visitors to Chicago each summer and the advertising department of Publix-Balaban & Katz maintains constant efforts to attract these visitors to its theatres. Institutional copy in boxes over the theatre ads at all holiday periods and other times, hail the visitors and bid them welcome to the city. The ads point out that a complete visit to Chicago means a visit to one or more Publix-Balaban & Katz theatres. Regular patrons and others are reminded by trailer that their friends who visit the city will enjoy more than anything else perhaps, the good shows obtainable at our theatres. tation activity. NOT JUST ONCE—EVERY WEEK! Dipping into its back files for good repeatable ideas, Publix Opinion is here reproducing two full page cooperative ads resulting from Seattle Paramount exploiThese can be used for practically any occasion. Ads at left welcomed stage shows back to the Paramount after an absence of several months. Ad at right was one of the weekly series in conjunc tion with the “Know Your Seattle” drive conducted then. Each change of program included a film featuring a local industry or enterprise; each was heralded by a full-page ad similar to this, and smaller space and publicity during the week. Idea was so successful that it was continued indefinitely, with a long list of Seattle firms on the waiting list. 1930 0-0 010+ 010+ 0-10-01 0+010+ 010-0010 OOF OPO Oy Capitalize on Midget Golf Course Popularity Don’t let the popularity of 4 midget golf courses discour¢ age you. Try to capitalize on the craze for the Tom Thumb game, which prob; ably will not be so general next season... A newspaper j t in Toledo has started a con; ; test to select the champion 3 i midget golf player. t 3 You can tie-up the midget } { courses with your theatre in ¢ i E similar contest. Promote t ¢« the prizes from sporting } 4 goods stores or use guest ? { tickets. And plaster each } 4 course with posters and ; ¢ signs selling your current « { and coming attractions. } 4 Tivery player is a potential § ¢ patron of your cool theatre. ¢ i Go after them. ¢ $ 0-0-1 0+0-0-0 0-0 0+ 0-10-01 0+ OO OO" O18 O10 OO: FILM BROADCAST BRINGS REVENUE (Continued from Page One) ton Ave., New York City and the information will be cheerfully and promptly forthcoming. “It is impossible to exaggerate the benefit which will accrue to us from the contract we have made with the Theatre Service Corporation,” Mr. Katz is quoted in the manual. ‘I expect everyone, both in the Home Office and the field, to approach this ‘New Use Of The Screen’ enthusiastically, to cooperate in every way possible with the Theatre Service Corporation and its representatives.”’ Jolson Caricatured In Chocolate Candy A novel manner of exploiting Al Jolson in ‘“Mammy” was conceived by Rudy Born, manager of the Coronado, Rockford, Ill. A local confectioner baked a large chocolate cake, upon which was inscribed the familiar Jolson caricature in white candy frosting. The cake was placed in the merchant’s window with appropriate copy, inviting passersby to guess the weight of cake and receive guest tickets for the attraction. ee Pe wey ys t wii LLOYD, ROGERS IN PHILCO AD CAMPAIGN Harold Lloyd’s “Feet First,” scheduled for Paramount Publix release in the fall, will be the \ subject for the Philco 24 sheet and national magazine fadvertising to start in October. This. is the first nation [wide tie-up [Lloyd has per| mitted on any .|of his pictures or himself. Preceding the “Feet First” | {| poster, in September, Philco will plaster the country with paper on Buddy Rogers and “Follow Thru.” Ads in three national publications and in the New Yorker will be used in addition to the paper. Hight magazines are to be used for the Lloyd ad. All ads will be in black and white except those in the Saturday Evening Post which will be in two colors. Same type ads as those used in the past are scheduled. All are timed to precede picture or to be released simultaneously. Word from Philco headquarters is that dealers are completely sold on the tie-up and will co Harold Lloyd operate to the fullest extent with . theatre managers. With Buddy Rogers and Harold Lloyd as the subjects for the September and October showings, opportunities for worthwhile exploitation are boundless. The home office advertising department expects each manager to take fullest advantage of the arrangement by contacting local Philco dealers and newsstand owners. The following is the magazine schedule for “Follow Thru.” New Yorker......... September 13th Sat. Evening Post...September 20th TATOO) BoGononoatorntnG September 19th Liberty ............. September 27th The schedule for ‘‘Feet First.” Mime ..c.ccccvcncces September 29th New Yorker..........64 October lith CollierS ..-...cceeeeeee October 18th Sat. Evening Post.....October 18th IHC Sananoouasuno caso. October 31st American ... ... November Photoplay ... . November True Story .. . November e Moonlight Promenades Please Theatre Patrons To fill in an intermission in his evening show, S. S. Holland, manager of the Stadium in Woonsocket, R. IJ., has instituted a series of ‘‘Moonlight Promenades” on the Stadium ‘‘Plaza.” Plaza, which is 70 x 40 feet in size, is surrounded by lattice work entwined with flowers. Music for dancing is furnished by a promoted Victrola, and cold drinks and cigarettes, also promoted, are served to patrons. ; Feature has proven extremely successful, and nets publicity in papers. Newspaper Stories Sell ‘Journey’s End’ Although dubious about ‘‘Journey’s End” as a box-office attraction, Manager Bob Gary of the Des Moines Theatre realized that it was a production which would have to be sold largely through the_ the newspapers, and concentrated on the Register, most influential paper in state. Advertising was within budget, but feature stories and editorials put it across to zood profit. PINEAU RESIGNS Resignation of W. J. Pineau as Chief Accountant of the Paramount Publix Corporation, due to ill health, has been announced by A. J. Michel. J. E. McDermott has been appointed Chief Accountant in Mr. Pineau’s stead.