keithl@tekcad.UUCP (06/13/83)
Non-Portland residents, please indulge me; if this hasn't yet happened
to you, it may soon...this fellow operates theaters in other cities...
I went to the Hollywood theater in Portland last night (Friday, June 11),
and there, among the previews for the new movies was a
<<<FLAME ON>>> .... cigarette ad ! .... <<<burner to low, but not off>>>
I "discussed" this with the theater manager, and apparently the Luxury
Theater chain, owned by Tom Moyer (NOT Larry Moyer, the owner of the
competing "Moyer Theater" chain), is trying this in all Laxity theaters
for the next month ( June 11 to July 10th? ). I would rather not see
commercials for non-movie products in theaters; some of the previews are
bad enough.
Let's see if we can stop this, by making it more profitable NOT to show
commercials. Personally, I'm going to:
1) Avoid Laxity theaters, and send them a letter telling them why I'm
doing so.
2) Patronize the competition, and tell THEM why I'm doing so. With luck,
I can convince them to include some phrase like "commercial free" in their
newspaper ads.
Address letters to either Tom Moyer, or Dale Pearce (Dir. of Advertising),
Tom Moyer Theaters, 919 sw Taylor, Portland OR 97205, or give them a call
at (503) 221-0213.
Those of you who smoke might write to the sponsors of the ad (Barkley?),
and tell them why you will NOT use their product.
If we don't stop this now, we'll be seeing a lot more ads in theaters,
in Portland and elsewhere. Can anyone out there in Netland suggest some
other useful (positive, non-coercive, non-vandalizing) tactics?
IF WE DON'T STOP THIS, NO ONE ELSE WILL!!!
--
Keith Lofstrom
uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,chico,pur-ee,cbosg,ihnss}!teklabs!tekcad!keithl
CSnet: keithl@tek
ARPAnet:keithl.tek@rand-relayTOPAZ:fantods@ucbvax.UUCP (06/13/83)
A few years ago in Boulder, several theatres tried out commercials before the show. They were roundly booed and screamed at, and I suspect that many people complained to the management, because they only lasted a week and we never saw them again. Go ahead and complain, do it well and make it loud and long. It works. Richard Moorman
jhh@ihldt.UUCP (06/14/83)
At the Summer Consumer Electronics Show, one of the companies selling Video Game Cartridges was bragging about their `heavy spending' for advertising their product in movie theaters this summer. John Haller