Coin Machine Journal

Issue: 1933 May

THE COI N M A C H I N E J O U R N A L
14
the requirements of today’s game op­
erators. Among the many operating
and sales helps Hamilton produced
was a cutout card with an easel back
to stand on the counters of the loca­
tions inviting the public to play this
new game. Here is real merchandising
applied to the coin machine indus­
try. When one goes into a drugstore
or most any other place of business
one sees the various cardboard cut­
outs of Coca-Cola, Wrigley’s Gum
and the various cigarettes and smok­
ers’ supplies each inviting the public
to partake of their offer. Now, thou­
sands of locations all over the world
will have these attractive counter dis­
play cards prominently displayed in­
viting the public to play E-Z Aces
and here is where Hamilton has ren­
dered a service to the coin machine
industry by presenting a new idea, or
rather applying a well known adver­
tising feature to the game industry.
Games have needed publicity. It is
true they have had plenty of adver­
tising by manufacturers to the trade,
but very little if any advertising to
the public.
May Standardize Game
This idea properly handled will in­
crease the public demand for playing
games. Fortunately enough for the
Hamilton Machine Company it will
tend to make E-Z Aces a standard
among games. When its full force is
felt and these games are in operation
in many locations throughout the
country there is a possibility that E-Z
Aces will become as fixed in the pub­
lic mind as the famous Victrola trade­
mark, “His Master’s Voice,” or Heinz’
57 Varieties pickle.
Manufacturers of games have
needed just such a stimulus as this
outstanding campaign, particularly
now when there are a great many
games on the market and there is
need for increasing prices in order
that manufacturers can continue to
produce and bring out new numbers.
Magazines Only a Stage for Show
Manufacturers should hesitate to
introduce a game or any other ma­
chine until they are convinced it is
worth getting behind. Then, no pains
should be spared to get the story over.
As Jack Miller, advertising mana­
ger of the Hamilton Machine Com­
pany, pointed out, “They use publi­
cations as a stage on which they put
on their show.” In making this state­
ment Mr. Miller little realized that
he was creating a new axiom in this
field. For a manufacturer in intro­
ducing a game to start in figuring how
to save a few nickels on the paper he
uses or getting cheap printing or en­
gravings is to court failure to start.
If the product is right and is worth
one’s time and investment to produce
it, it is certainly worthy of the best
show possible to get it over to the
largest number of people.
The selling of coin machines in the
future is going to be done in just such
a manner as has been employed by
the Hamilton Machine Company and
other leading concerns who under­
stand the value of advertising.
Beer Stimulates Another Striking
Campaign
In this connection, another striking
campaign in the coin machine indus­
try is that recently inaugurated by
the Mills Novelty Company in behalf
of musical instruments and vending
machines that go hand in hand with
the sale of beer. When beer was a
. certainty James Mangan, advertising
manager of the Mills Novelty Com­
pany, started to work to develop a
campaign that would capitalize on the
possibilities for the operation of ma­
chines in locations likely to be affected
by the sale of beer. On the day that
beer actually became a legal beverage
the trade papers’ and the operators’
mail blossomed forth with announce­
ments that startled the whole industry.
Several of these mailing pieces are re­
produced in this issue and give an
idea of what a machine manufacturer
can do to further interest in his ma­
chines and service.
most recent folders are shown which
are genuine works of art and splendid
examples of advertising genius. Paul
Bennett, sales manager, supervised the
campaign.
With campaigns such as these as a
criterion, it may well be expected that
we will see some radical new ideas
appear in the promotion of machine
sales within the next few months.
Bally Among First Big Timers
In commenting on what has been
done in the way of advertising ma­
chines, we must go back a few months
and mention the unusual campaigns
conducted by the Bally Manufactur­
ing Company. Their campaigns in be­
half of Ballyhoo, Goofy and, more
recently, Airway, have created a sen­
sation in this industry. For dealer
campaigns their equal had not been
known up to that time.
Now, we have still more striking
campaigns that reach out to include
the public which will become more
and more a part of this industry.
H ere at Last!
2 1
CHERRY ROLL
Built for Action and Profits
SENSATION OF THE YEAR
Proven a Money Maker
Counter Play Sample,
only.. ...................
$250
(1/3 Cash, Balance C. O. D.)
Rock-Ola Does Good Job
Still another striking campaign is
that being conducted by the Rock-
Ola Manufacturing Corporation, fea­
turing their games, Wings and Official
Sweepstakes and Scales. Two of their
Enhanced . Scans © - The International Arcade Museum
May-June, 1933
G. & M. MACHINERY CO.
2021 Main Street
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
http://cmj.arcade-museum.com/
May-June,
15
T H E C OI N M A C H I N E J O U R N A L
1933
cAre You Tutting Out (^Machines
Or BUILDING a BUSINESS?
I t ’s the M achin e on L ocation,
N o t in W ork S h o p , T hat Pays
• “You may be selling the goods, but
are you building a market?” was the
question a well known manufacturer
put to a new comer in another field
recently.
This straight from the shoulder
challenge was issued during a discus­
Sion at a luncheon to which the new
comer had been invited preparatory
to his joining the club, which was
made up of manufacturers and jobbers
in that field.
.
The prospective new member had
let it be known that he proposed to
produce and sell his product at prices
that would break the market. He
boldly asserted he was going to get
all the business.
Launching into a general discussion
of conditions and factors favorable or
unfavorable to the business at that
time some sound merchandising sense
was developed which softened the at­
titude of the neophyte in regard to
cornering that market
“Granting that the trade at large
enjoyed too large a profit, and you
propose to shave that margin and
build up a big volume, what provisions
have you made for stabilizing your
earnings in the event of a drop in
sales?” was one of the questions pro­
pounded. “Will your small margin
enable you to continue to go along in
the face of a depressed market and
render the same service indefinitely as
the present factors have been able
to do?
“Isn’t it true that those of us who
have survived and established our­
selves in this industry have done so
only because our margin of profit was
sufficient to insure a perpetuation of
service and accommodation to our
buyers over a period of time?”
And, still more vital a question:
“After you have garnered all this busi­
ness as you propose to do will you
have built a market for your product
that will look to you as a source of
supply indefinitely; or will this mar­
ket built on price alone forsake you
on the hope that a still lower priced
product will be available now that you
have demonstrated that the prevailing
price is too high?”
Commenting on this discussion a
coin machine man applied this line of
reasoning to the coin machine indus­
try and here is how the picture fits
this industry.
Of all the concerns who entered the
promising field two years ago only a
few have survived and these, to be
sure, have had the foresight to keep
their selling price on a basis that
would permit a reasonable profit and
enable them to give service over a
long time.
One game in particular, introduced
by a veteran manufacturer at the out­
set of the game craze, commanded a
price considerably above the average
game today. This game had quality
and endurance built into it. The man­
ufacturer is still in business and giving
service on these machines, while many
of his chiseling competitors have
Enhanced Scans © The International Arcade Museum
folded up and gone their way. These
same games may be seen on location
today producing good profits, as good
comparatively as the first profits when
the games \yere new.
One operator in describing condi­
tions on the West Coast reported that
these particular games were getting
big play and had influenced a resur­
rection in activities since the larger,
better games were again being pro­
duced on the coast in large numbers
and taking locations away from in­
ferior machines.
New games being introduced are,
for the most part, larger, better built
and reflect quality. The manufac­
turers have been successful in showing
operators that the first cost is practi­
cally the last cost, that their machines
are free from trouble, insuring unin­
terrupted play which in the long run
puts money into the operator’s pocket
where cheaper machines often cause
delays, dissatisfaction and costly re­
pairs.
Thus in building their machines up
to a standard in quality, getting a fair
price, maintaining service, the pro­
ducers were building a market, a mar­
ket that is stable and profitable to both
manufacturer and operator, which
after all is the sensible procedure.
A few years ago a manufacturer of
merchandise machines sought to flood
the trade with a very low priced line.
He actually sold thousands of his ma­
chines. But operators who are de­
pendent on this type machine for their
living are inconvenienced and embar­
rassed by not being able to secure
repair parts, even globes that will fit
the machines, as the manufacturer has
long since passed out of the picture.
While the operators who bought the
machines saved a few dollars because
of the low price their repair bills have
been unusually high because parts had
to be made by hand or other costly
adjustments made to keep them going.
One of the best examples of this is
http://cmj.arcade-museum.com/

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