OUSTING FOREIGN GOODS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 171, 15 April 1932, Page 2

OUSTING FOREIGN GOODS

Importance of Branding In a recent article published in the “Advertiser’s Weekly,” Mr. Thomas Russell states "If British manufacturers do not want imported goods sold in place of their products, they must brand them. Give, them a trade mark, put on them their own names and addresses, if they will, but at all costs enable the public to identify them by mime and brand. "It is no good advertising, a product which cannot be instantly and without doubt distinguished from anything else. By branding the advertised package is to be found the cure for unconscious buying of foreign products by British consumers. "The ‘Buy British’ campaign launched by the Government and the Empire Marketing Board is an inspired piece of tactics. But even . a 100 per cent. ’Buy British' pledge on the part of all the people can have no result if 99 per cent, of the people cannot tell foreign goods from British. A drastic reduetion of superfluous imports through the voluntary efforts of the people is all that the nation needs: and there are indieali-ms that the desired response will be forthcoming if only the people can be shown the way to implement the pledge. "Particularly in the textile trades, the precautions taken to conceal the origin of products from the consumer, and even from the shopkeeper, are elaborate. An advertiser of textiles in the trade press has even been known to refer inquirers to the editor of a paper in which his announcement appeared, for information on the source of supply.' In other words, the advertiser was afraid to advertise even in the trade press, lest he should be boycotted by the middleman.’’