Promotional strategies -
The Hill Theatre had an interesting way of promoting its business and the building space in general. They were very patriotic and supportive of the US military through programming and events/stores that were held using the theatre’s space.
For context, Hillsboro, the city the theatre occupied, is known for Intel. Intel is a large technology company and has several campuses in and around the city. Intel moved to Hillsboro in the late 1970’s, and before that, Hillsboro was a lot smaller and only known for its farming and agriculture. Also, the original owner of the theatre was a popular businessman, Orange Phelps, who was even the mayor of Hillsboro for a moment in time.
Because of that, the Hill Theatre reflected Hillboro’s and Phelp’s priorities of supporting farmers and the US government. Some viewings at the Hill Theatre were free to farmers and their families, as stated in the Hill Theatre ads that were shown in the Hillsboro Argus.
They also had a space in the Theatre building where you could donate scraps of material to be re-purposed for the government war efforts, which was also run by Boy Scouts. Not to mention the Hill Theatre actively supported and funded events to help the Red Cross and other US Military companies.
They would also hold events and screenings where Oregon politicians and other popular businessmen would get a chance to speak and mingle with attendees of the theatre. Most often, the film that accompanied that event was a Western or War film.
Every single one of these events and open funding to the US government was documented and easily accessible in the newspaper for the city.
