First the Cigarette Manufacturers, Now the Coinmen.
CAMOA Builds Play, Good-Will.
14
There IS something new under. the sun, in -spite
of what the sages say, and that is the method of
combining familiar elements with familiar settings,
but in an unexpected manner. You, as a reader of
the daily newspapers, are familiar with prize con-
tests. Particularly are you familiar with the two
cartoon contests, one completed and the other newly
opened, sponsored by a cigarette manufacturer.
And you, as an operator or jobber, or as one con-
nected in some way with coin machines, are famil-
iar with marble tables.
These, then, are the familiar elements. The unex-
pected comes in the combination of the two. And
the California Amusement Machine Operators' Asso-
ciation of Los Angeles is the instrument by which
these elements were brought together. CAMOA not
alone has determined to prove there is something
new under the sun, but has decided at the same time
to build itself an unusually large amount of good-
will and a vastly increased following among players
of marble games.
Old Gold's and CAMOA's contests are similar.
Both use newspaper space to announce details, both
offer awards for filling in the best answers to a
series of cartoons. In one instance the contestant
says something about Old Golds in answer to a
comment from someone in the cartoon. In CAMOA's
contest, likewise, one person in the picture has said
something about marble games and the contestant
simply fills in the empty balloon.
Chief difference in the two contests are: Old Gold's
contest runs for fifteen weeks, CAMOA's one week
each for four weeks; Old Gold's prizes total $250,000
(first prize $100,000), CAMOA's $20,000 (first prize
each week $1.000); in 010. Gold's current contest you
smoke Old Golds, send in wrappers with each an-
swer, in CAMOA's contest you play marble games,
send in receipts showing that you've played.
Like Old Gold's second and current contest, which
was planned as long ago as last ApriL CAMOA's
board of directors considered a wide variety of
plans, studied long, finally chose the one now in use
as most satisfactory, both from a legal standpoint
and from that of building up play on the games. And
CAMOA Counsel Charles Cradick believes that the
plan is entirely legal. Los Angeles' District Attorney
Buron Fitts has intimated a similar belief.
Professionally planned, the success of the cam-
paign will depend .~ntirely upon the cooperation of
members of CAMOA in selling it to locations, Crad-
ick indicated, and this selling is entirely the opera-
tors' responsibility. With careful analysis it is evi-
dent that there are actually two motives behind the
contest. First of these, of course .. like Old Gold's,
is to build up interest, to bring more profit to the
operator; the second is prevention of petty losses.
In the past there have been frequent instances of
cheating and theft on the part of location owners,
more often than not in the matter of payouts. Under
the new plan, not only are payouts of any sort elim-
inated entirely, but the merchant in whose place a
CAMOA machine is located has no choice but to
be honest.
Under the method of operation CAMOA, which
has copyrighted a new trademark and has planned
its use in many ways during the run of the contest,
has brought into Los Angeles 3,500 pounds of special
tokens bearing the name of the Association. Instead
of playing nickels or ordinary tokens, as so fre-
quently happens, the player will use these special
checks, buying them, at a nickel apiece, from the
merchant, though he is not required to use them in
the place where he bought them, nor at anyone
time. At the same time he huys the tokens with
which he plays the games, he receives a corre-
sponding number of receip"'t s indicating his pur-
chase, and with each answer to three cartoons he
is required to mail in five receipts.
Still a further advantage of having the player
step to the counter before he plays the game is the
fact that all money is kept out of the cashbox, mak-
ing the coin trays poor prey for would-be burglars.
These receipts which the merchant issues are
charged to the proprietor at two-and-one-half-cents
each, reducing the percentage in all instances. Thus;
if, when the collector comes around, there are 100
of the man's tickets gone, he must account for $5.
Fifty per cent of the amount is deducted for cam-
paign expenses (the two-and-a~half-cents already
charged) and the balance is divided between opera-
tqr and location according to the usual percentage
basis. The operator then leaves the place with sev-
enty-five per cent of the proceeds, of which he turns
over forty per cent to the campaign.
As a legal measure necessary in all contests to
prevent classification of them as· lotteries, CAMOA's
contest bears the additional note that receipts are
not necessary to enter; the contestant may, if he
chooses, draw five reasonably accurate facsimiles.
First public announcement of the contest reached
the public Monday, September 27, in the Los An-
geles "Daily News," where there appeared a bold
spread, reproduced herewith, covering six news-
paper columns by ten-and-one-half-inches. Monday
evening's "Herald and Express" carried similar
space, and in ensuing days the "Times" and "Exam-
iner" also had the ad. Later on in the week the
various metropolitan papers had black column-
length advertisements or bottom strips that the pub-
lic couldn't miss seeing.
~
On location, Monday morning, early players were
first struck with a . window announcement of
CAMOA's contest. Inside the location the message
was repeated in cardboard posters placed above