EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5093, 25 February 1927, Page 4

EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.

VALUE OF ADVERTISING. “ SHOP AT HOME.” Some very pointed remarks on the value of advertising, both from the business and civic ' viewpoints, were made at Hamilton last, week by Mr Tano Fama Government publicity officer touring with the film “Glorious New Zealand ” when he addressed members of t,he Hamilton Chamber of Commerce at luncheon (states the “Times”). He urged them to impress on the townspeople the advantages which followed where they supported their own business men.

As a temporary courier of the New Zealand Government Publicity Department, said Mr Fama, he was deeply concerned with the value of advertising, which was. necessary in every walk of Iffe. Every live organisation took advantage of it, and it was a national asset.

CONSISTENCY IN ADVERTISING. We were now in what he would term the electric age of advertising, which had become such an important 'factor in America that 1,000,000,000 dollars were expended there annually in that connection-. Some said they had no need to advertise, but even the churches still rung their bells. Consistent advertising was a necessary reminder to a forgetful public, It had first to be of a vivid character tp attract attention, while its other functions were to create learning, liking, and to promote purchasji.g. Verbosity was fat'd to advertising while superlatives were ineffective. They were in such general use that they had become hackneyed, and unless the vendor analysed his goods in an advertisement where he used the superlative, in order toprove his assertions, his efforts were wasted.

NEWSPAPER BEST MEDIUM. There was -no doubt that the newspaper form off advertising was easily the best, and advertisers should not diffuse their efforts in side-line advertising, but persist in the one direction. The value of sound advertising was sound when in Ehgland, the News of the World charged £2200 for a one-page advertisement in one issue only to- its 3,000,000 of readers, while the London Daily Mail, with a circulation of 1,500,000, demanded £l5OO a page for an advertisement in a single issue.

No amount of boosting, however, would create a demand 'for goods unless they were of quality. “ Cater, cater, cater,” should be .the sloganevery good business man. It .was the repeat, orders tha? made successful business, Advertisements should be written in the simplest of languages if they were to have effect, INDICTMENT ON BUSINESS MEN. “The first thing in civic advertising is to get the people to realise the necessity tor shopping at home,” said Mr Fama. “It is an indictment on the business men Of this town when the* public travel to Auckland to make their purchases.” They should support their own town, where they enjoyed equal advantages for shopping. That point could be firmly driven home by a judicious advertising campaign. Thoughtlessness on the part of the public and lack of advertising were responsible tor that state of affairs. Speaking generally, Mr Fama said the people should advertise by medium o'f their own -newspapers, increasing their efficiency and adding to the value o'f their advertising. SOME TYPICAL INSTANCES. In England, Blackpool had practically no rates because of its extensive advertising, and visitors to the town paid a levy of 6d a head through the hotels for the purpose. In British Columbia (Canada) an expenditure of £3600, in- one year was estimated to have drawn a harvest of tourist traffic valued at £500,000’ in the following year.

National advertising had brought great results while the value of advertising in politics was well known. Cartoons had made many ‘Home politicians, while those left alone by the newspapers were nonentities. Mussolini was, in the speaker’s opinion, a very astute man who believed in selfadvertising, though his methods might not, commend themselves to us, who for the most part hated publicity. The Italian dictator knew what would appeal tq the imaginative Italian and he had set out to secure that end. New Zealand had witnessed the influence of advertising at the last Dominion elections, when- the Government slogans became by-words owing to the resourcefulness and inventiveness o'f flfose who conducted the publicity campaign.

PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT’S WORK. The expenditure on advertising abroad by the New Zealand meat Publicity Department had increased from £4OO a year three years ago to £40,000 a year now, and personally the speaker would not consider the expenditure on Dominion advertising satisfactory until it reached £lOO,OOO annually for at feast five years. The Publicity' Department df New Zealand was doing wonderful work, but, in spite of its efforts it received “more kicks than ha’-pence.” The Government was sending out 12,000 ft of publicity film every week, and volunteer lecturers were doing 'much in Italy and France, while thousands of descriptive ’folders were being sent abroad, Hawaii a dozen years ago had less tourist traffic than New Zealand. A young man was appointed at a high salary, and by boosting Hawaiian music in America and clothing the I islands in poetic romance the tourist : traffic had expended to a *>alue of , £27,000,000 annually. APPRECIATION OF EFFORTS. ; Mr F. H. clapham, president of the I Chamber of Commerce, thanked Mr I Tano Fama for ihis highly interesting I and instructive address, and on the i motion «’f Mr D. Hay the following ! resolution was carried : “That “this i 'Chamber of Commerce views wit.h much satisfaction the greatly increas'l ed activities on the part of the New ’ .Zealand Government Publicity Depart- ■! -went.'”