Atari Coin Connection
Issue: Vol 5 Num 02 - 1981 March - Page 6
Promotions
for Profit
Neel Voss, owner of Four
Star Amusements (see ar-
t icle ent itled ''Operator of
the Eighties"), has plenty of
promotion ideas, but there
is one that has been a par-
t ic ular success.
Neel recently conducted
a "$500 Missile Command™
Contest," with the goal of
bringing new players into
the location. Unlike a high
score tournament, any play-
er could qualify to enter the
contest by achieving over
10,000 points on Missile
Command.
For one month before the
contest, Neel set one of his
four Missile Command ma-
chines on free play from
6:00 - 9:00PM every night.
Each player was entitled to
one free play per night on
this machine to try to
qualify for the contest. If
the player achieved over
10,000 points on his free
play, his name was written
on a card and placed in a
barrel. Players were wel-
come to try to qualify as
many nights as they liked
during the month, with the ir
name submitted to the con-
test every time they were
successful.
At the end of the month,
Neel held the contest draw-
ing, using what he calls the
"Voss Secret Formula."
First of all, the player had
to
- - be present to . win. Then,
Atari, Inc.
1265 Borregas Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94086
a
A Warner Commun1ca11ons Company
at 7:00PM, Neel drew 10
names from the contest
barrel. Those 1 0 people
played one game each on
Missile Command, with the
high scorer receiving a
$100 bill. At 9:00PM, 10
names were drawn again,
the players took one turn
each on Missile Command,
and the high scorer re-
ceived a $100 bil l. At
11 :OOPM, Neel drew one
name. That player won $300
on the spot.
This. contest was ex-
tremely successful, but
Neel is quick to point out
that it required a lot of time
and effort. He advertised
the contest heavily, with
local radio spots, public an-
nouncements in the loca-
tion, and a sign on the door
reading "STOP. Do not
leave until you 've played
your free Missile Command
game." He believes strong ly
in encouraging new players;
thus, he would take time to
explain the game play to
them. Once the contest
began, t he free play Missi le
Command had to be con-
stant ly monitored to make
sure that each player tried
to qualify only once per
night. The contest cost a
total of $1,000- $500 in
prize money and $500 in
promotional materials.
However, the results of
this contest were astound-
ing. Many people came in
20 - 25 t imes during the
month before the drawing
to practice Missile Com-
mand and then play their
free game. Neel is con-
vinced that without the con-
test most of the new players
would not have come into
the location as often. By
the end of the contest,
many of these players had
become regular customers.
On the night of the drawing,
the contest barrel contained
approximately 1,000 name
cards. Neel estimates that
between 1 50 and 200 play-
ers attended the drawing,
most of whom were playing
games through the evening.
If you are interested in
running a promotion that
will bring new players to
your location, as well as ap-
peal to experienced play-
ers, we suggest you t ry a
contest such as this. Make
certain to research any
legal restrictions in your
area before implementing
this or any other promotion.
Did You
Know?
During ATARI'S Tel lus™
survey at the 1980 AMOA
Show in Chicago, operators
of street locations reported
having almost three times
as many bar/tavern type
locations as restaurant
locations on their routes.
In t he United States,
there are over twice as
m·any restaurants as there
are bar/taverns (where li-
quor sales are the primary
source of revenues).
TECHNICAL TIPS
Missile
Command
Symptom:
Players obtain free game by
unplugging and plugging in
the wall plug .
Solution:
Replace IC (7 493) located at
0-4 with a 7 490. Jumper
pins 6 and 7 to ground.
X-Y Monitor
Symptom:
Plus or Minus 38 volts is
near doubled (approx. 70
volts).
Solution:
This is caused by an open
centertap w ire of the mon-
itor power transformer or
open connection in the har-
ness leading to the power
transformer centertap.
All G0-2 color monitor ad-
justments at ATARI are
made with the picture tube
facing West. Due to the
earth's magnetic field,
operating the game in alter-
nate directions may cause
color impurity. A portion of
an all red screen will ap-
pear washed out. Before de-
c iding the floor location,
rotate the game for best
purity.
First Class
U.S. Postage
PAID
Sunnyvale, CA
Permit 317
for Profit
Neel Voss, owner of Four
Star Amusements (see ar-
t icle ent itled ''Operator of
the Eighties"), has plenty of
promotion ideas, but there
is one that has been a par-
t ic ular success.
Neel recently conducted
a "$500 Missile Command™
Contest," with the goal of
bringing new players into
the location. Unlike a high
score tournament, any play-
er could qualify to enter the
contest by achieving over
10,000 points on Missile
Command.
For one month before the
contest, Neel set one of his
four Missile Command ma-
chines on free play from
6:00 - 9:00PM every night.
Each player was entitled to
one free play per night on
this machine to try to
qualify for the contest. If
the player achieved over
10,000 points on his free
play, his name was written
on a card and placed in a
barrel. Players were wel-
come to try to qualify as
many nights as they liked
during the month, with the ir
name submitted to the con-
test every time they were
successful.
At the end of the month,
Neel held the contest draw-
ing, using what he calls the
"Voss Secret Formula."
First of all, the player had
to
- - be present to . win. Then,
Atari, Inc.
1265 Borregas Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94086
a
A Warner Commun1ca11ons Company
at 7:00PM, Neel drew 10
names from the contest
barrel. Those 1 0 people
played one game each on
Missile Command, with the
high scorer receiving a
$100 bill. At 9:00PM, 10
names were drawn again,
the players took one turn
each on Missile Command,
and the high scorer re-
ceived a $100 bil l. At
11 :OOPM, Neel drew one
name. That player won $300
on the spot.
This. contest was ex-
tremely successful, but
Neel is quick to point out
that it required a lot of time
and effort. He advertised
the contest heavily, with
local radio spots, public an-
nouncements in the loca-
tion, and a sign on the door
reading "STOP. Do not
leave until you 've played
your free Missile Command
game." He believes strong ly
in encouraging new players;
thus, he would take time to
explain the game play to
them. Once the contest
began, t he free play Missi le
Command had to be con-
stant ly monitored to make
sure that each player tried
to qualify only once per
night. The contest cost a
total of $1,000- $500 in
prize money and $500 in
promotional materials.
However, the results of
this contest were astound-
ing. Many people came in
20 - 25 t imes during the
month before the drawing
to practice Missile Com-
mand and then play their
free game. Neel is con-
vinced that without the con-
test most of the new players
would not have come into
the location as often. By
the end of the contest,
many of these players had
become regular customers.
On the night of the drawing,
the contest barrel contained
approximately 1,000 name
cards. Neel estimates that
between 1 50 and 200 play-
ers attended the drawing,
most of whom were playing
games through the evening.
If you are interested in
running a promotion that
will bring new players to
your location, as well as ap-
peal to experienced play-
ers, we suggest you t ry a
contest such as this. Make
certain to research any
legal restrictions in your
area before implementing
this or any other promotion.
Did You
Know?
During ATARI'S Tel lus™
survey at the 1980 AMOA
Show in Chicago, operators
of street locations reported
having almost three times
as many bar/tavern type
locations as restaurant
locations on their routes.
In t he United States,
there are over twice as
m·any restaurants as there
are bar/taverns (where li-
quor sales are the primary
source of revenues).
TECHNICAL TIPS
Missile
Command
Symptom:
Players obtain free game by
unplugging and plugging in
the wall plug .
Solution:
Replace IC (7 493) located at
0-4 with a 7 490. Jumper
pins 6 and 7 to ground.
X-Y Monitor
Symptom:
Plus or Minus 38 volts is
near doubled (approx. 70
volts).
Solution:
This is caused by an open
centertap w ire of the mon-
itor power transformer or
open connection in the har-
ness leading to the power
transformer centertap.
All G0-2 color monitor ad-
justments at ATARI are
made with the picture tube
facing West. Due to the
earth's magnetic field,
operating the game in alter-
nate directions may cause
color impurity. A portion of
an all red screen will ap-
pear washed out. Before de-
c iding the floor location,
rotate the game for best
purity.
First Class
U.S. Postage
PAID
Sunnyvale, CA
Permit 317
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).