The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-20

by wATTERsON n. fsOTHACKER.
What's your circulation. what
class Of people do you reach?"
one, or both. of these questions are
hred at the advertising solicitor every
time he gets close enough to his pros
pect' to engage yn conversation. II the
answers are satisfactory then comes the
question. What's your rate?" Then, IL
the rate Is right, the deal is arranged
and the matter of copy is in order,
copy Is just as important In adver-
using as shot Is In shell. The best
gun In the world. aimed by the most
expert marksman at the most closely
punched Of game birds. will not bring
down the desired results II putty in
stead OF lead is fired And so 1t is in
moving picture advertising.
When you talk moving pictures rs an
advertising medium and the circulation
question comes UP you can give figures
veritabiy astonishing. For instance, sew
erai experts have stated in print that
the daily attendance at moving picture
theaters in the United States is approx
mately five million. while in an issue of
the Akron Journal. recently published.
the editor states that while there are
less than one thousand moving picture
establishments in the State of Ohio.
yet in that State alone one million six
hundred thousand persons daily see the
pictures The editor then adds: Fig
uring this patronage at the very low
average of five cents per person, 1t 10
apparent that Ohio people are paying
more than eighty thousand dollars q
day. over quarter Of q million dollars
week. more than thirteen million dol
lars year. for this kind Of entertain
ment"
II this editor is right. the moving pic
ture houses in Ohio each average better
than one thousand six hundred visitors
day. AS a matter Of fact, there are
in the United States alone at least six
teen thousand places offering moving
pictures for entertainment. and at q
reasonable estimate the daily attendance
will average five hundred per theater:
the most common estimate Is a round
thousand for each theater, which proba-
bly, is bit high.
Popularity Of Motion Pictures.
At this figure. one-tenth of the entire
population Of the United States visit
moving picture houses every day. This
one-tenth is recruited from all classes
At the picture show the grocery boy
WIN sec ciHPtoycI, the SmpiOyeT Will
see his landlord, the landlord will see
his banker, his minister, his doctor, his
dentist. and all these will see their
friends, their tradesmen and their pa
irons. Women. men and children-the
mistress Of the house and the maid of
the house. the classes as we'll as the
masses. all are film fans, and Why
because moving pictures offer a novel
entertainment appealing to every eye
understood by all regardless of differ
ence in age. station or language Is 1t
any wonder that with the value Of illus
trations in advertising firmly estab-
lished. with the superiority of moving
pictures as an illustrative force under
stood, and with their worldwide popu-
larity growing by leaps and bounds-is
II any wonder that We now hear much
about moving picture advertising?
Schools everywhere are throwing open
their doors to educational films-minis-
tiers are indorsing their use and all
along the line the industrial educational
and advertising phases of moving pic
lures are being discussed and utilized.
A new era in filmdom is here, and
here to stay. 1t doesn't signalize a fad.
a mere theory or a prophecy, it heralds
the moving picture as an advertising
and educational factor that has made
good" by actual achievement as well
as logical arguments.