House ad as portfolio

The pattern

This still is filed under House ad as portfolio.

Define

The firm advertises itself by showing the work, not by describing the work.

Mechanism

Proof by exhibit. The portfolio is the claim. Captions stay short. The pieces carry the argument.

Verdict

We sell craft and the buyer can judge from examples.

Why it works

The distributor does not describe itself. It stacks five film title cards down the column like a hand of playing cards, each with its stars and director, so the size of the season is seen before it is read. A star portrait at the top and the scattered stars give a fan magazine reader a whole year of cinema to look forward to from one company.

The big idea

Aflam al-Saqr presents its strongest season yet, 1954 to 1955, by dealing out five film title cards down the column so the reader sees the whole slate at once.

The offer

The 1954 to 1955 season of five films from Aflam al-Saqr, distributors for Egypt and the whole world, 21 Emad El-Din Street.

The proof

The slate itself: five titles on one page, each card naming its stars and director, under the distributor's emblem.

Lines from the ad

تهدى أقوى إنتاج فنى ضخم لعام ٥٤ - ٥٥

Presents the strongest, biggest artistic production of 54 - 55

توزيع لمصر وجميع أنحاء العالم

Distribution for Egypt and the whole world

أفلام الصقر

Aflam al-Saqr (Falcon Films)

Steal this when

Use it when a studio, publisher or agency wants to sell its whole upcoming line-up at once and the titles themselves are the draw.

The emotion

Written to Excitement. It does neither clearly.

Five title cards with their stars and directors deal out a season to look forward to, but the ad gives only the season and the office address: no dates or step to be there.