ABSTRACT

Based on nearly 5,000 cinema ads from German newspapers, this article reveals the marketing of the Asta Nielsen brand from 1911 to 1914 in 53 cities and towns in Germany. The three Asta Nielsen series were the first long feature star series in Europe to be distributed with exclusive exhibition rights. The distributor Internationale Film-Vertriebs-Gesellschaft m.b.H. (IFVG) supplied promotional materials such as ad models and sales brochures to support cinema managers’ advertising in their local newspapers. With the epithet ‘the Duse of cinema art’, uniform portrait vignettes and versatile character vignettes, IFVG tried to address several target groups at the same time. In the course of the three cinema seasons from 1911/12 to 1913/14, a change in the Asta Nielsen brand can be observed: the face of the brand changed from a figure with whom the average viewer could identify to an inimitable film diva and the references to legitimate theatre became less and less prominent. By analysing business-to-consumer communication, this article shows which promotional materials cinema managers adopted and which specific strategies they used to attract their local audience.

摘要

本文基于德国报纸近 5000 条电影广告，揭示了阿斯塔尼尔森品牌从 1911 年到 1914 年在德国 53 个城镇的营销情况。三个阿斯塔尼尔森系列是欧洲第一个以独家展览权发行的长篇明星系列。发行商 Internationale Film-Vertriebs-Gesellschaft mbH (IFVG) 提供了广告模型和销售手册等宣传材料，以支持电影院经理在当地报纸上的广告。凭借“电影艺术的 Duse”、统一的肖像短片和多才多艺的角色短片的绰号，IFVG 试图同时针对多个目标群体。在从 1911/12 到 1913/14 的三个电影季中，可以观察到 Asta Nielsen 品牌的变化：该品牌的形象从普通观众可以识别的人物变成了无与伦比的电影女主角，对合法剧院的提及变得越来越不显眼。通过分析企业对消费者的沟通，本文展示了影院经理采用了哪些宣传材料，以及他们使用了哪些具体策略来吸引当地观众。