On the Land.

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 454, 8 September 1928, Page 27

On the Land.

Buy Empire Produce WORK OF MARKETING BD. Rendering an Invaluable Service L“u°r. z ‘,s ri r d «f the ove.sei, produce? ke, ‘" S B ™ rf '■* «.e .Merest, Established by Act of Parliament to further the marketmg m the United Kingdom of Empire produce from Home and abroad the board is doing a valuable work Not the East important of its activities are those connected with its advertising and publicity department.

That the interests of the United Kingdom and her overseas Dominions are closely interlocked can be taken from the fact that in 1927 the value o£ imports into the British Isles from Empire countries amounted to £420,000,000, while exports were valued at £380,000,000. Over the past three years these figures have shown an increase of 9 per cent, and 13 per cent, respectively. In 1924 the overseas Dominions absorbed 41.7 per cent, of the United Kingdom’s export of manufactured goods. By 1927 the percentage had risen to 46.1. While it could riot be reasonably claimed that the Marketing Board has been entirely responsible for the whole of the expansion in the reciprocal trade over the past three years, it must be admitted that the publicity work of the board has done much to popularise Empire produce with the consuming public of the United Kingdom. The board, at the outset of its work, decided that its main public appeal should be directed less to advertise particular commodities than to interest the public in the Empire and its development and so create a favourable setting for the activities of those concerned with the sale of individual Empire products. This policy has been confirmed in the light of experience over the past year. The board has initiated and developed an extended campaign of poster publicity among some 270 towns. Approximately 1,500 frames are distributed among all towns with over 10,000 inhabitants in the United Kingdom, and posters issued by the board are changed every three weeks. On the board's mailing list are 17,000 schools, all of which regularly receive posters for placing in prominent parts of the building. The newspapers have been found a powerful medium for publicity and throughout the year a series of specially attractive advertisements have been inserted in the leading dailies. Greater scope will be given to this section of the board’s activities in the future.

At all the important industrial exhibitions through the United Kingdom the board has had a pavilion which has created considerable interest. In addition to the above the board has assisted and encouraged Empire Shopping Weeks within the. United

Kingdom and has also made extensive use of the radio and cinema for broadcasting publicity. Lectures and addresses to the number of 2,613 we\i also given under the board’s auspices last year. Apart from its publicity work board is also rendering an invaluable service to Empire producers through its economic and scientific research departments.