Screen on the Green: ET

This 'Screen on the Green' promotion was even bigger and better than the last. The movie tonight was ET and it is the fourth of this year's movie series. Peachtree TV and the folks with Turner Broadcasting are great to work with and the value is phenomenal.

I still have to stop and watch the commercial with a peanut farm family telling our the peanut story from the farm family perspective.

We had our own farm family helping as Donald Chase and son Greg and daughter Laura came and helped hand out peanuts and Reese's Pieces.

Over 10,000 people showed up for the free movie event. Families had picnics, it was quite orderly for a crowd this size, partly because the crowd comes in over a period of hours, starting at about 5:30 and up until the movie starts at a few minutes past 9 PM. 'Screen on the Green' is wholesome family entertainment.

The movies are all good family entertainment and I am really satisfied that with the advertising buy and this on site promotional event we have well gotten our money's worth out of this promotion.

We were fortunate enough to have Hershey's join us in this promotion. They provided 5700 packs of Reese's Pieces to give away. You will remember that in the movie ET fell in love with Reese's Pieces. Frankly, who wouldn't. I went up to one gentleman while handing out samples in the crowd and asked if he had his Reese's Pieces. He pulled a one pound bag out of his picnic basket. I gave him another pack for being so loyal.

One of the best things we can do to promote consumption is to give folks a sample so they remember how much they like peanuts and peanut candy.

I have admit that I have been guilty of buying something in Sam's or Wal-Mart that someone gave me a sample of, even when I knew before I sampled it what it tasted like.

I have been amazed at the crowd this event has drawn.

People were pouring in even as the park was filling up. At showtime There was not much space left at Centennial Park in the Heart of Atlanta. The crowd was multicultural and multi-national but one thing was common: peanuts. One lady from one of the Island Countries came up and told me that our peanuts reminded her of home.

And, what event would be complete without the huggable Buddy McNutty. The National Peanut Board and the Peanut Advisory Board, which represents the Southeastern Growers in Regional and National promotional events? I might be of the belief that this is the best joint promotion we have ever had.