BOOSTING EMPIRE GOODS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 May 1929, Page 7

BOOSTING EMPIRE GOODS

£1,000,000 FOR ADVERTISING. Following the speech by the Prince of Wales urging the need of bettei salesmanship, Mr Percy Lister, managing director of R. A. Lister and Co.. Ltd., of Dursley, Gloucestershire, recently sent a letter to the British Prime Minister suggesting the creation of a million-pound fund to advertise British goods abroad. His firm offered to subscribe £SOOO to start the fund. Appended are extracts from the letter : In his speech on the opening day oil the British Industries Fair, the Prince of Wales urged on the business community the need of improving the salesmanship of British goods. While the Prince’s words are fresh in people’s minds, I venture to bring to youi notice a suggestion, which, if adopted, would, I believe, go a long way towards helping the country out of its present difficulties. It involves the creation by British industry itselif of a fund on a substantial scale to advertise its goods overseas. That a million pounds judiciously spent to advertise British goods abroad would bring far more than commensurate results will be admitted by everyone who has any experience of modern advertising methods. Is British industry prepared to back its belief in the genuine value represented by its goods to the extent of putting up half a niuiion pounds to advertise them? My firm, R. A. Lister and Co., Limited, of Dursley, Gloucestershire, is willing to pay its share, and if SO other firms will do the same it will subscribe £SOOO to a National Advertising Find, the money to be expended by a committee of experts representing industry and nominated by the Government. Will other linns ifollow suit?

And if British industry contributes the first half-million, will the Government go “ fifty-fifty ” with it in its attempt to increase employment and contribute another half-mililon for the same purpose from the National Exchequer ? Through its grant to the Empire Marketing Board and its support of the new “ Come-to-Britain ” campaign, it has .already admitted the value of spending money on national advertising. Here is a way in which its money could he most effectively employed in relieving our most urgent national problem. And if' I, once the fund were opened it would soon, 1 venture to believe, far exceed the original half-million suggested.