XXXVI.HANDLING THE ANTI-AD. SLIDE EXHIBITOR
Have you ever had legitimate advertising turned down by a newspaper? I don’t suppose this rare experience has fallen to your lot, so it is perhaps as well if I acquaint you with the conditions that exist in the motion-picture theater advertising field.
The motion picture has not reached maturity, and consequently some branches of the industry are not so far advanced as others. In the former category comes slide advertising.
There are some exhibitors who throw up their hands at the very mention of slide advertising, yet the strange part about it is that they themselves can not get along without this excellent form ofpublicity. They run a bunch of slides on the screen pertaining to current attractions and house announcements. These occupy the screen for five minutes or more, and are repeated at every performance for fully one week.
It is not necessary to advertise productions so far in advance, and this would allow “foreign” advertising to have a look in, but this type of exhibitor generally refuses to listen to reason. And the worse still is the fact that he knows he has the upper hand of you.
Let me assume that you are located in a neighborhood section, which is catered for by one photoplay theater. There may be another in the next section, but, however desirable this theater, it will not produce so much business, for it is a trait of Americans not to walk further than is necessary.
If the exhibitor on your block favors slide advertising, the rest is easy, but ifhe is opposed to it, it is up to you to assume a resourceful attitude.
The chances are that this exhibitor issues a house organ of some sort, for which he is prepared to accept advertising from desirable local stores. Here, then, is your opportunity. If you have ever glanced over a slide catalogue, you will agree with me that slides, when reproduced in black and white, make dandy press advertisements.
Many dealers who believe in attractive slide announcements undo all their good work by following same up by stereotyped ads. in the theater house organ. It is, of course, a great advantage to have the former already prepared by expert advertising men, so the stock slide in the latter capacity would seem to leave little to be desired.
Contract for, say, three inches of space weekly, with weekly change of copy, for which purpose a suitable stockslide should be selected. Your slide manufacturer will willingly grant you permission to have cuts made of his slides and reproduce them, if you give him the credit. Your ad. will stand out prominently from the rest, and readers will admire its all-round excellence.
The question now arises as to what use you are to make of the slide. If there is another theater within easy walking distance, it would do no harm to arrange for a weekly change of slides. Between the two, you should hit the mark.