MUST ADVERTISE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 90, 13 October 1934, Page 7

MUST ADVERTISE

MARKETING NECESSITY

DAIRY PRODUCE AT HOME

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, September 5.

During the past butter-selling season tho London office of the Dairy Produce Board has greatly appreciated the support received from New Zealand for publicity purposes. It took a great number of years for those responsible at the New Zealand end to realise that nothing sells really well in this country without advertisement. Quality alone is not enough. There must be ceaseless publicity, and in the end the expenditure on advertising is amply repaid.

During last season £33,000 was available for advertising, and of this amount £32,900 has been spent on newspaper advertising, on posters, on the salary of canvassers, and on organising the great district campaigns.

By the new arrangements now in force another £33,000 will probably be available as levies from the producers, but in addition the merchants are to contribute to publicity as well, "equitably and not exceeding £16,000. "With £50,000 to spend on publicity the board in London will bo admirably equipped next season to continue this very necessary part of its work. It is not easy to estimate the effects of publicity, but doubtless the evergrowing sales of New Zealand butter in districts previously largely supplied exclusively with Danish butter would give some indication of the effects of the campaigns. In addition, however, there has been a very decided effect upon prices, as indicated by the premium over competitors as ; compared with previous years. Throughout the whole season New Zealand butter has been sold at a higher price than Australian, Dutch, Swedish, and Baltic.

In previous years a premium of 2s over Australian has been the rule. Last season the premium was aa high as ss, and at the present time it is 4s per cwt o-ver Australian. Dutch and Swedish, during their peak quality months, when" the cattle are grass fed, has generally been equal in price to New Zealand. Last season their prices never reached the New Zealand level, and at times have been 5s and 6s behind. Although the prices are low one may safely assume that without the persistent advertising and publicity they would have been' 2s to 3s lower throughout the period. And this has happened, it must be remembered, with the record export of 139,000 tons.

Prospects for the coming selling season are not too cheerful. During September there will be 6000 tons of old season's butter arriving; in October 10,000 tons of new season's butter; in November 11,000 tons. An estimate of Now Zealand butter in stock.at the present moment is 11,000 tons iv London and 15,000 tons in other parts of the country. Moreover, the amount of butter in stock today from all sources is greater than has ever been recorded at this time in any previous year. '