my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Pens

Author Topic: Pens Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 12-20-2015 09:49 PM                        I ordered a few hundred pens this year with "Thanks!" and my theatre name, phone number and website printed on them. I've been handing them out to everyone who comes to the show for the past couple of weeks. Some people just pocket the pen and say nothing about it, but there's a surprising number of people who are absolutely thrilled to get a "free pen". It's certainly worthwhile to do something like this once in a while. Spreading the good will around! (And they are really nice pens, too.)  |  IP: Logged Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 12-21-2015 03:41 PM                        Whoever uses said pen to write you a thank you note for the pen wins.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-22-2015 07:50 AM                        The Avon Cinema in Providence, RI. did this a couple of years ago for their 75th anniversary. I believe that they were similarly well-received by their patrons. They also had some very nice coffee mugs made that they sell for some reasonable price (about $10, I think) that have line art of the marquee on them as well as the phone number and web site URL. While I am sure that no one is getting rich off of mug sales, the number of purchases has exceeded expectations. They also had postcards with a picture of the marquee at one point, although I am not sure if they still sell them. I have suggested refrigerator magnets (the thin, flexible type) as a giveaway item to several theatres, but no one has taken me up on that yet.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 12-22-2015 08:10 AM                        I have had magnets here for several years. I give them away to anyone who looks like they have never been here before, or anyone who asks "When is whatever movie playing?" The magnet has the website address on it, so I can say "Just check that website for all of the upcoming movie information." Everyone likes the magnets too. I have had fridge magnet collectors (never knew there was such a thing) come here to request a couple of magnets for their collection, too.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-22-2015 03:36 PM                        About 10 years ago I bought a 100-pack of business-card sized fridge magnets, with the intention of making my own hand-outs. As befits my ridiculous schedule, they are still in the storage cabinet. Guess I need to put the employees on that project.  |  IP: Logged Manny Montes Master Film Handler Posts: 270 From: United States Registered: Feb 2010 posted 12-22-2015 03:36 PM                     The pens idea is interesting, hell I have so many guests take pens maybe I should just make all of my pens promotional pens.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 12-22-2015 03:41 PM                        Just 100 magnets? I ordered 10,000 magnets about four years ago and am now down to the last few hundred so I should probably order some more one of these days. Promotional stuff like pens and magnets won't do you any good sitting in storage. For anyone who's interested, these are the pens that I ordered: Contour Pen They are a good quality and really quite nice. They were delivered about a week after I ordered them.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-22-2015 05:52 PM                        quote: Frank Cox Just 100 magnets? I ordered 10,000 magnets about four years ago and am now down to the last few hundred so I should probably order some more one of these days. Promotional stuff like pens and magnets won't do you any good sitting in storage. It was just an experimental thing to see if people would want them. I keep forgetting about the damn things. I run across them once in a while, decide I should do something with them, then something more important comes along and I forget about it. It's your typical lather, rinse, repeat.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-22-2015 06:48 PM                        Mike--why not just leave a stack out by your concession stand for people to take? Or, if you mail out flyers or schedules, include one with each mailing.  |  IP: Logged Donald Brown Expert Film Handler Posts: 131 From: Lincoln, DE Registered: Sep 2009 posted 12-22-2015 09:17 PM                     At each of the drive-ins that I have operated I have handed out fridge magnets at the box office. At one location, I had the opportunity to issue several versions. They became somewhat collectible! The most resent magnet that I produced was issued in 2012 for the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre. While it was derived from the work of a locally known artist and featured a beautiful representation of the drive-in screen, it just wasn't as hot a commodity as earlier magnets were at other venues. I suspect that is due to the degree to which patrons rely on electronic media for theatre information today.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.