Part 20

XXXVIII.

THE IDEAL SLIDE FOLLOW-UP MEDIUM

To obtain the greatest possible results from slide advertising, there must be an effective follow-up scheme. You may have gotten the hunch that as you change your slide frequently it is quite sufficient.

As a matter of fact, only half of the battle is won, for the slide is not sufficiently elastic to perform everything demanded of it. At the motion-picture theater your slide is probably one of a dozen, and it is well-nigh impossible for a spectator to retain a vivid recollection of them all. You have got to remind him, and, incidentally, present the direct appeal. That means your advertisement being presented in a permanent form. It may occur to you at first to use the columns of the best local newspaper, and, while this has its good points, it falls short of the type of follow-up medium needed for slide publicity.

A newspaper, as a rule, covers the town like a blanket, but the neighborhood photoplay theater draws the majority of its patrons from the surrounding blocks. So, if you wish to obtain 100 per cent. value from your investment, it is up to you to employ the house organ gotten out by the exhibitor. This publication gets into the hands of all patrons of the theater regularly every week, and the fans study it from cover to cover when they reach home.

The grave mistake some dealers make at this stage is to forsake the slide for the house organ. It may be an economical plan on the surface, but, believe me, it is penny wise and pound foolish in the long run.

The slide serves to get acquainted with your prospects, who can not possibly ignore it in the darkened hall, so you secure their attention, while the printed page might escape their notice.

I have frequently remarked upon the attractiveness of the stock slide, and this time I am going to contrast it with the stereotyped business card.

This is a snappy slide recently used by a Brooklyn dyer and cleaner: “Don’t Get ‘Held Up’ for Inferior Cleaning and Pressing. Try Us for Expert Work at Fair Prices.” In the left-hand corner was a sketch of a New York tough pointing his revolver at a terrified meek man.

The follow-up advertisement in the theater house organ was as follows: “Suits Pressed, 25c. Sponged and Pressed, 35c. Cleaned and Sponged, 50c. Dry Cleaned, $1.00. Pants Sponged and Pressed, 10c. Also Ladies’ Work.”

It was as easy as kiss your hand to be entertaining in the first instance, because the slide was one of the stock kind. This fact, however, does not excuse the advertiser from putting some real thought behind his announcements, for, otherwise, the interest of the reader fizzles like a damp firework.

XXXIX.

ATTRACTING FARMERS TO TOWN

If you are a country town merchant, you are at the mercy of the weather, and trade suffers accordingly. The farmer is a good customer, and you must offer some inducement if he is to be persuaded to make his customary trip to town when the weather is bad.

Practically everybody likes motion pictures, and the farmer is probably as keen a fan as his city cousin, only circumstances preventing him from attending so often.

I know of a merchant down in Harrisonville, Missouri, who got wise to the fact and presented his farm customers with free motion-picture theater tickets. He now finds that the weather makes not a particle of difference.

How, then, can you make certain of doing good business every Saturday, rain or shine? I would suggest that you try out the self-same stunt.

In the first place, the local motion-picture exhibitor, being a business man, is always on the warpath for opportunities for increasing his patronage, so, if you approached him on the subject of selling admission tickets at a reduced price, he would undoubtedly come to terms with you.

It might be well that you ask him to put on mostly rural pictures. This may seem like carrying coal to Newcastle, but it has been proven that rural folks much prefer farming subjects.

This settled, mail two complimentary tickets, with a letter about the character of the program, to your farmer customers sufficiently in advance to be used, and mark them good for only the Saturday matinees.

XL.

CAPITALIZING POPULAR SCREEN PLAYERS IN SLIDE ADVERTISING

The national advertiser often links up his products with that of a popular photoplayer by christening a branded article after the actor. Failing this, he secures a testimonial, for which privilege he pays handsomely. The reason is obvious, for the stars are worshiped by countless thousands all over the country, in smallest village and largest city, and, naturally, the use of a name means a big boost for the article advertised. You see, the fans do not see their idols in the flesh, which causes them to evince unusual interest in anything to which the player’s name is attached.

Perhaps motion-picture audiences have been spoilt through the ever-changing flow of new productions, as this demand for something new has had a marked effect upon slide advertising. The dealer never hesitates to try out something original.

The value of an article linked up with a photoplayer increases a thousand-fold when advertised in the photoplay theater, and consequently the slide on which mention is made of a screen favorite will attract more attention than the slides you are at present using.

I am not going to suggest that you apply to the fountain-head, so that you may follow in the footsteps of the national advertiser. In the first place, it is out of the question, for the photoplayer, unlike his legitimate brother, does not travel from town to town. Now and then, it is true, he does tour certain motion-picture theaters, but these occasions are not sufficiently frequent for you to wait for one to occur in your town.

I have a method in mind which will cost you nothing additional outside of the slide. This is just a rough draft of the wording:

“We Know of a Girl Who Tried to Manufacture Dimples Because She Envied Lillian Walker’s.