Occasionally, however, he slips a cog, but this is not altogether his fault; the dealer himself is partly to blame for purchasing a slide which misrepresents his business. It may, on the other hand, just fit in with the individual needs of his competitor a few blocks up the street.
Photoplay audiences should not be disillusioned; the screen must be kept free from abuses, for once spectators discover that advertisers are in the habit of misrepresenting the facts, they will evince less interest in slide announcements.
Therefore, when purchasing a stock slide, let the deciding factor be: “Does it apply truthfully to my own store?” If the answer is in the affirmative, your slide will not strike a false note.
XXXIV.
OBTAINING THE BEST RESULTS FROM SLIDE ADVERTISING
Not even the most successful business man makes good in every enterprise he undertakes. That is an impossibility, especially in these competitive times, but, if certain rules are observed, success can be achieved in the majority of cases.
The photoplay theater is a comparatively new advertising medium. You may have tried it out and failed, while your competitor, for some reason you are unable to fathom, has won out. The mistake too often made is to treat the motion-picture show as a new thing—a kind of scientific toy—but as a popular form of amusement it has long discarded its long pants. The photoplay, as a matter of fact, has settled down to enjoy a long and flourishing career, with strict adherence to business principles.
You do not find the modern exhibitor housed in a converted store, where he presents the crudest of films under the most vile conditions. He would soon find himself a bankrupt if he continued these pioneer-day methods.
Maybe you have developed a similar misunderstanding, so it is well that we have a heart-to-heart talk.
It is a serious mistake to have a slide thrown upon the screen of the least desirable theater in your neighborhood. You make matters a thousand times worse if you allow it to be shown at every performance for months, until it gets cracked, dirty and faded, all in turn.
To begin with, the folks whom you are addressing must be carefully considered. They step inside the photoplay theater to be entertained with attractive films, though this is not to say that advertising in connection with same is entirely out of place. Some theaters run a performance through without a stop, while others, mostly the nickeldromes, introduce an intermission during the change of each reel.