XXII.SELLING SHOES BY MOTION PICTURES
Mr. Shoe Manufacturer, take your choice. Which would you prefer to boost a brand of shoes by—an industrial film, a comedy photoplay or a trick film? That is a matter for you personally to decide, for my responsibility ceases after mentioning how each type of motion picture has been employed by other shoe manufacturers.
The George E. Keith Company, manufacturers of Walk-Over shoes, introduced themselves to the motion-picture public with “The Making of a Shoe,” said film being exactly one-reel in length. The camera man went to Campello, Massachusetts, for his material, and first panoramed his camera outside the Walk-Over plant. Once inside, evidently nothingescaped his notice, for he covered everything, from the leather inspection to the polishing of the finished soles.
Credit must go to the Krohn-Fechheimer Company, of Cincinnati, for being the first to present photoplay stars. Their film, “A Footwear Romance,” featured, to use a studio term, Ruth Stonehouse and Bryant Ashburn. It was easy to capitalize these two attractions, so full-page announcements were taken in the leading motion-picture magazines.
This was how the fans were appealed to: Glancing across the aisle on the Pullman, Edward Blair saw a pair of feet so small, so bewitchingly dainty, that at once he lost his heart to the pretty feminine possessor. But who was she, and where was she going? Resorting to a bit of clever detective work, he found that she wore the Red Cross shoe—a clue that led up to some startling information. But afterwards came thegreatest shock—when he discovered her as the servant in the home of Miss Eugenie Hatton, the girl he must marry to win the fortune of his eccentric uncle.
How would you have this story end? Would you have him marry the servant-girl, whom he really loves, or Eugenie and a fortune? How it really does end will be a big surprise to you.
The star players, of course, were especially mentioned, as well as advising readers to see the film when it came to their town.
The opportunity to present the direct appeal was not overlooked, for the Krohn-Fechheimer Company offered to send the complete story of the film. With the synopsis was enclosed a card of introduction to the local Red Cross dealer.
I understand that the film was handled by a Red Cross dealer in every town, who arranged for its showing atthe most desirable local photoplay theater, calling attention to the fact in his newspaper announcements.
The trick film is capable of putting over many amazing advertising stunts, and for impressing a name on the public it can not be surpassed, if equaled. While I can not recall any American shoe manufacturer having adopted same, we can take a leaf out of Germany’s book.
A clever idea was carried out by the Dorndorf Shoe Stores, which establishment used a film that presented a jumbled heap of letters, these eventually merging into the word “Dorndorf.”
The same concern employs another film which shows shoe-boxes traveling unaided from the shelves to the customer, who allows the shoes to try themselves on his feet until a pair proves suitable. Then appears the apt subtitle, “Dorndorf Shoes Sell Themselves.”