XXXI.INDIVIDUALITY IN SLIDE ADVERTISING
You have heard that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” so you do not strive to emulate the other fellow. You prefer to go one better and raise yourself out of the “type” clique, thus establishing your individuality. I am fully aware that I am treading on dangerous ground in quoting slide advertising as an example, for the simple reason that it stands in a class all by itself. How? Well, permit me to explain.
Suppose you prepared a dandy advertisement, and one entirely different from that of your competitors. Would you not commission your most desirable local newspaper to insert it, with the request that they give it as good display aspossible. If you didn’t do this, you would be foolish.
Suppose again, when next week came round, you were hard up for a bright, new idea, and time was precious. Rather than go unrepresented in the next issue you would promptly set about to prepare a stereotyped announcement, which would not cost you a cent more for composing.
Yet, if you blazoned the path of originality in slide publicity without knowing the correct way to go about it, the results would be disappointing. Even though you had prepared your copy, you would want a humorous illustration to back it up, and it would doubtless occur to you to hire a local artist. Lastly, you would put your announcement before prospects on a home-made slide. Slide-making, let me tell you, is an art which has only been perfected by years of experience.
If you present your screen ad. in acrude manner, your purpose will be defeated. So the only alternative is to have one of the slide manufacturers make a special slide to your order. It should cost you about $1 additional, for which amount you will obtain an artistic slide.
Possibly it has never occurred to you that you can use the stock slide and still give photoplay goers the impression that you are decidedly distinctive. The motion-picture exhibitor believes in hiring his screen to one advertiser in each trade, consequently, if the slide has been prepared specially for your trade, there is no fear of overlapping. What I mean is this: There are slides on the market which, by filling in the name, address and business, can be made applicable for several trades. Here is one example: “You’ll Treat Your Pocketbook Right if You Do Your Shopping at ——.”
It would be rather embarrassing, forinstance, if several other traders employed the self-same slide. The best stock slides are those that can not be adapted by any other trade, and there are plenty of this kind to be had. Now, on the other hand, there may be occasions when a special slide is a necessity. Maybe there are some exclusive features about your business, to boost which slides of a general character would be out of place.
The only chance a person would have of discovering that your stock slide is used by a competitor would be if he happened to be a patron of more than one motion-picture theater. Here, again, you would gain a brilliant victory. The fan, not being in the know, and having seen your announcement first, would proclaim you as the originator. And his respect for you would naturally have a tendency to increase.
So if you notice a fellow-trader using a stock slide which takes your fancy,don’t go and do likewise. Select something different. Thus, you see, you can make your slide advertisements distinctive without incurring any additional expense.