Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1945)

July 7, 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 17 Star Campaigns Being Launched In London A new major development in exploitation has just been put in operation in England. The J. Arthur Rank interests, which include such production units as Two Cities, Gainsborough, The Archers, Cineguild, and Pascal Productions, have realized for a long time that it will be necessary to make their stars known all over the world as part of their fundamental commercial program. The first campaign of its kind has now been launched by Gainsborough Pictures under the leadership of Maurice Ostrer in order to reach the British public. This campaign is taking the form of bus and subway cards, each one of which carries a plug for a particular star. According to reports thus far received, the general public is being made star-conscious in a big way through this method, and Ostrer points out that the advertising benefits not only Gainsborough and the stars, but also the theatre chain managers who play the pictures, and even the industry as a whole. The panels include attractive new portraits of the stars together with slogans describing their personahties and a list of their latest films. The scheme allows for six changes a year for each star. The London campaign is only the beginning of a vast drive, it was said, for it is proposed to extend the bus and subway service to all large provincial cities as well as London. Although the basic idea of car advertising is by no means new, the Gainsborough scheme represents the first attempt by British distributors to make their own stars nationally famous. First stars to be thus publicized are Margaret Lockwood, . Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger, Patricia Roc, Jean Kent and Anne Crawford. Miss Lockwood, Miss Calvert and Stewart Granger are said to be the most popular stars in Britain today and in many outlying districts have a larger following than American stars. Comments by exhibitors thus far on the newcampaign indicate they are very pleased with the idea, considering the campaign a direct aid to their own showings. The cards of each star are displayed just at a time when a new Gainsborough film is about to be released and the timing has been found to be extremely helpful for individual theatre campaigns. WB to Launch First Poster Campaign in Great Britain First time a producing and distributing company has undertaken a sustained poster campaign throughout Great Britain will be launched shortly by Warner Bros, under the direction of Max Milder, who heads the company's activities in that country. Budget for the first year has been set at more than $150,000, and the campaign will be the spearhead of a large-scale advertising scheme devised by Milder to hold motion picture audiences against increasing competition from other amusements that were restricted during the war. Sites ranging from 24-sheets to 48-sheets have been bought in all exchange territories and most of the key cities in England and designed to conform with paper-control and other regulations, will be attractive six-color creations combining institutional and direct selling of current pictures. The same idea is being worked out for other Warner foreign territories through the company's New York headquarters. Curiosity Angle The curiosity angle was used to advantage by the Waterloo (Iowa) Orpheum for its engagement of RKO Radio's "Betrayal From the East." One thousand small cards bearing ad copy were distributed in white envelopes with the word "Confidential" printed in red letters. New Showmanship Is Urged by Einfeld Current national prosperity with its high level of motion picture attendance, offers an opportunity to experiment in new forms of showmanship and develop new merchandising techniques that will come in handy when times are not so good, declared Charles Einfeld, Warners' vicepresident in charge of advertising-publicity, in addressing a session of the field public relations stafif last week. Presided over by Mort Blumenstock, the meeting was also attended by the home office publicity and advertising stafi:. Motion pictures not only have an ever-increasing public responsibility to bear in mind, Einfeld said, but there are still many barriers that the industry must break down before achieving its fullest recognition. There is also the important job of helping the industry to get rid of its inferiority complex, he said, and the field men in their position of "roving ambassadors" can help greatly in accomplishing this end. Other speakers, in addition to Einfeld, Blumenstock and Harry Goldberg, Warners' director of theatre advertising and publicity, included Larry Golob, Eastern publicity manager; Gil Golden, national advertising manager; Bill Brumberg, head of the field staff; Charles S. Steinberg, assistant publicity manager and head of the educational and public service bureau, and Bob Paskow, in charge of commercial tieups. The campaign on "Rhapsody in Blue" was thoroughly discussed, while the handling of "Conflict," "The Corn Is Green" and other pictures was taken up. Aggressive Selling For 'John L' Premiere World premiere of Bing Crosby Productions' first independent release through United Artists, "The Great John L" was ushered in at the Majestic Theatre, Boston, with an aggressive exploitation campaign that reflected itself at the box -office. Every effective merchandising channel was tapped for this opening and excellent cooperation was received from newspapers, radio stations and leading merchants throughout the city. Campaign got underway a few days prior to the opening with a series of newspaper and radio interviews on Lee Sullivan, one of the principal players in the picture. Sullivan was heard on major networks and landed with feature stories and art in all newspapers. "The Great John L" also got an excellent editorial break in the Boston Post. At the Lou NovaTami Mauriello fight, Sullivan was introduced to the spectators, thus getting another strong plug for the opening. Special proclamations were issued by Governor Kerrigan and Mayor Tobin declaring a special "John L Week." More than 100 local merchants participated in this campaign and arranged elTective window displays featuring scene stills from the players in the picture with full credit to the Majestic opening. These displays were arranged in all department stores, book and music shops and many specialty stores. Through the cooperation of the Retail Board of Trade, the railroad permitted the posting of special "Welcome Banners" plugging the opening. Thirty-five Royal Crown Cola trucks carried the two-sheet posters and more than 30,000 heralds were distributed (Continued on Page 21) Coroner Helps Horror Bill To help put over its Double Horror Bill consisting of "The Body Snatcher" and "The Brighton Strangler," both RKO Radio Pictures, the RKO Grand Theatre in Chicago, invited the city coroner, Cal Brodie, as guest of the management and had him interviewed by the press as to his reactions. The result was considerable free newspaper space. SIGNS SELL BOTH BONDS AND PICTURES. Looking for a way to keep Canada's 8th Victory War Loan in front of his patrons without the campaign growing stale, Manager Allan Easson of the Oakwood Theatre, Toronto, combined his bond-selling messages with titles of current attractions. Thus, for MGM's "Marriage Is a Private ^^^}^'" added, "But Buying 8th Loan Bonds Is a Public Affair . . . Buy to the Limit." On RKO Radio's "None But the Lonely Heart" each word of the title was used in a stirring buy-bonds message (see center frame). Note how Paramount's "And Now Tomorrow" was cleverly worked in for bond sign at the extreme right.