ADVANCE ROTORUA

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 330, 17 September 1932, Page 4

ADVANCE ROTORUA

The Rotorua Borough Council has shown foresight in supporting the recent proposals made for an intensive advertising campaign to bring the attractions of Rotorua before the travelling public and place particular emphasis upon the curative and invigorating properties of the thermal waters of the district. We will spare readers the reiteration of advertising slogans, but the fact remains with accumulating proof year by year, that when any person has anything which he desires to sell, or even wishes to give away to another person, he must let it be known and known as widely as possible. Viewed from the strictly business and commercial standpoint, which from some points of view is unfortunately the predominating standpoint today, Rotorua has something to sell and it must take the most effective means of selling it. Today, the time has passed when the only, and therefore the unchallenged vehicle of publicity, is the newspaper, but although time and American boost has given us other and occasionally more aggressive methods of selling our wares and salving our consciences, the newspaper still remains by far the most farreaching publicity vehicle. In the course of the aiscussion upon the scheme, the Mayor after giving the proposals his benediction, gently remarked that although newspaper men might consider the newspaper the only vehicle of publicity, the layman might think otherwise. There are, however, a very large number of laymen who do not think otherwise and their names should carry weight. Mr. Henry Ford, Lord Inchcape, Mr. Sidney Pascall who was recently in New Zealand, and nearer home, the chairman of N.Z. Breweries Ltd., have all within the last month or two quoted the newspaper as the outstanding publicity medium. But they are only a few of the names which could be used to prove the case. The extent to which all successful businesses, many of them vast to an extent unknown in New Zealand, have built up their prosperity by means of judicious advertising does not reauire reiteration. The

list is so formidable that it might carry conviction even to the councillor who alone raised his voice to suggest that "£300 was too much to spend on newspapers" in advertising Rotorua. Further than that, it is only necessary to point out that the scheme was closely investigated by the publicity experts of the Railway Department — men with a knowledge of advertising which extends far beyond merely local requirements — and these men gave it their full approval and co-dperation. The campaign, of course is to be conducted entirely outside of Rotorua and will embrace scientifically drawnup advertising matter with the leading newspapers of thq Dominion, in addition to an attractive booklet which will be given a wide distribution. The whole scheme will be handled by the Railway Department, and. those with an experience of recent railway publicity methods, will concede that it will be in competent hands. With each passing holiday season, it has become increasingly apparent that Rotorua cannot be content to rely upon its reputation to attract visitors; it must meet the keen competitive spirit of the times with means and measures which embrace a further and wider vision than the purely parochial. There is particular scope for publicity in regard to the qualities of its spa which could be developed almost as the Ganges of New Zealand, the Mecca of pil-

. . . - — i grimage for the sick and ailing. Only yesterday we published a notable tribute to the Rotorua baths from a distinguished overseas visitor, the Count Baillet de la Tour. "Carlsbad, Nauheim and Harrogate are as nothing beside them. Why if they were in Europe they would be full all day," said the Count referring to the Rotorua waters. We are admittedly tremendously handicapped by the distanee from Europe and the great eentres of population, but in spite of that, energy and enterprise may still realise the Count's prediction and keep the baths "full every day."