Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

.l/(/ v 6, 1939 S 1 1 ( ) W Al !•: N ' S T U A I ) l'. \i V. \ I I'". W Page 35 buch a celcbnitiou as lliis slimiM he 11k' keynote of your cami)aign, but there is no j^aiusaying the fact that you should do plenty' of seUing in advance of this. Naturally there'll be a wealth of publicity on ihc celebration which will serve as publicity for the film, too. But in addition to this, other activities must be outlined and pursued. In your lobby or foyer you could place a replica of an old train, or perhaps a miniature model. Heightened with scenes of the forthcoming film, this display would attract attention for iwo or three weeks in advance of your opening. Go "VP" in Your Teasers (io in for teasers, too. Small ads illustrating an on-coming train, together with the copy, "It's on the way" could be the initial layouts. Follow these with copy to the effect that "UP is TOPS for entertainment,"— "UP is BIG in sweeping action," —"UP is TOPS for thrills,"— "UP is EPOCHAL entertainment," etc. You realize, of course, that these teasers can be in the form of tack cards and placed in every possible location around town, and that as your playdate draws near, they can be sniped with this information. At train crossings, and at street intersections if you wish, signs can be posted carrying the copy, "Watch for 'Union Pacific'." You'll want to use teaser trailers on your screen in advance, too. There is so much in the way of exploitation that can and should be done that one hardly knows where to begin. But regardless of where we begin in these pages, it is up to you to outline your campaign so that you will know just when and where every activity is to be carried out. A model train contest would not be amiss, in our opinion. Just as some design model airplanes so do others design and build model trains. Even those who haven't pursued the hobby will be eager to begin once you announce your contest. For those who find it difficult to get the parts or fashion them for use on their model trains, it seems to us that the rules might be elastic enough to permit trains carved out of wood or made from cardboard to be entered in the competition. City and railroad officials could judge the models entered, and the winners could be displayed either in your lobby or in various show windows around town. Giant Pre-Selling Campaign You need have no worry about tieups. Paramount has gone ahead and made the arrangements. Yours is the job of following up. National ads in magazines like Life, The American Wrrklx (magazine section of many newspapers throughout the coun try), and several fan magazines, have made the public "Union Pacific"-conscious. The front page of the April 14 issue of Young America is devoted solely to the film. Now look over these promotional angles, and make up your mind right now that you are going to take advantage of every one of them First, the Union Pacific railroad is tying in with a strong magazine campaign, special heralds, ads in their time-tables, special stickers and special window cards. Advertised via posters, car cards and the magazine itself, a nationwide contest is [E[ILB.DeMILLEI iilii BARB'SnA wm M'CHEA ri/t'lhlillf4il;ll^llj41.1lil1Ai'llil'JII'M' Take Advantage of these National Tieups Paramount has gone the limit in arranging national tieups for you. Above are just a few of them. At left is one of the ads Pennzoil is running in 119 newspapers; At the top, center, is a one-sheet poster on Lipton's Tea. In the upper right-hand corner is an ad in Union Pacific time tables. At the bottom, center, is the Lux ad, and at the extreme right, bottom, is the Sunkist special poster. There are many more. These Three's Are Terrific One would expact the larger posters to be breathtaking in their vivid coloring, which they are; but even the 3-sheets, shown above, and smaller posters, have the same seat-selling gualities. Sfou'll be wise if you start your posting early. being conducted by Screenplay. Because of the fact that Lipton's Tea is co-operating, all the grocery stores in town will tie in with you. A giant tieup ad campaign, with giveaways at oil stations, standees and other kinds of advertising help have been prepared by Pennzoil. Add to these Sunkist Oranges, Montgom ' ery Ward's 584 stores, Western Union, Lux, Hamilton Watch Co., and many others explained in detail in the giant campaign book and you'll find you've got all the material }'OU need for smashing exploitation. Here's a stunt for your schools. Educational and Recreational Guides, Inc., have issued their Study Guide on "Union Pacific". In addition, they have prepared a folder which, when opened up, reveals a full page of stills from the film. Under each picture is a question concerning American history and the picture. Students are to answer the Questions, and cut out the stills and place them in a notebook, the notebook to be turned in to you, the newspaper, or whoever sponsors the contest. Judges select the best notebook and forward it to New York to be entered in the national contest. The best notebook in this group wins for its owner an all-expense trip to Hollywood. This is a sure way of getting cooperation from educators, so don't overlook it. A screening might lie held for Railroad Brotherhood groups either in your theatre or if facilities permit, in a parlor car stationed on a siding at the depot. Arrange to have panels in the local station. [nilB.DiMlllE'!i BARBARA JQEL mn lAMiROFF BOBERi PRfsiM «m mtm 8RIAII OOIUVY „r KCIIBMIIU When your opening day rolls around, see that your doorman is attired as an engineer or conductor. Out in front you could have a sidewalk barker, costumed as a conductor, waving his lantern and shouting, "All aboard! 'Union Pacific' leaving at (time of next show)". He could spiel about the attraction in train-caller style. A traineffect record might be played and amplified to attract passers-by. A locomotive bell could toe placed outside and rung by an attendant. An Idea for Marquee Flash At the bottom of the opposite page is a swell idea for a marquee flash. From your exchange you can probably obtain the necessary stills, have them blown up, and then cut out. Your house artist can take care of this. Just above the entrances and the box office you could have a shadow box, with an electrically-controlled toy train running the full-length of the display, on around behind it, and back across the front again. Die-cut hangers in the shape of trains could be suspended from the marquee. In advance, and during the run of "Union Pacific", an auto designed to resemble a locomotive could cruise around the downtown section. Between the playing of recorded railroad songs, an announcer could spiel about the picture. An ample line of accessories has been prepared, including posters, 40x60's, lobby photos, stills, heralds, standees, etc. Go the Limit in Selling It We've told you about the bigness of "Union Pacific." We've given you several ideas to incorporate in your campaign. We've urged you to go the limit in selling this great picture. Naturally, in these two pages we have been confined to only a fraction of the many stunts that can be staged. But we know that with this Showmanalysi's, that with the fine work Paramount has done to assure you a recordbreaking engagement, you will certainly realize that goal. We can't say definitely that you will — we base our prediction on your ability as a live-wire showman.