GETTING KNOWN

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 57, 8 March 1928, Page 12

GETTING KNOWN

PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURE JUSTIFIED FILM AND LECTURE During the last couple/ of years or so the Publicity Department, whose chief function is to make more widely; known the manifold charms ana attractions of the Dominion, has steadily, pursued its course. There -were, ofj , ; course, the initial , difficulties inseparablo from any new venture, but these havo .now been . overcome, .-and ..the fruits-of a carefully designed policy] are becoming -increasingly more cvi/ dent. The effect of the publicity; cam- ' paign overseas is already apparent in more ways than one and it can.be said - that tho Department has more than justified its existence and .tho.':expendi- - ture of the money granted 'to', it.-But "'• to achieve a full measure of success a sustained.effort is required': any slack- '■"*. ening at the present: juncture in tho' campaign would largely nullify the efforts already made. The present is an' • advertising age,, and countries as well as firms must keep: abreast of-the times if they are going to compete successfully with their rivals."' The publicity; given to the Dominion overseas by the Department >s efforts . -Was "attracted,; and will continue to attract in increasing quantity, settlers, tourists, and cap- ': ital to this country. The more the i potentialities of tho Dominion are. known abroad, the better it is for th© Dominion, for even one humble tourist probably leaves, behind not less than a couple of hundred pounds. Noticeable already is the increased; knowledge of the country displayed by, ',\ tourists arriving from overseas. A year or two back it was the usual run of . events for tourists to arrive, say. "from the United States, with practically no knowledge of the country about to be , visited.. Now they conic knowing exactly what they want to see .and do; "We saw in New York," said^one the ■ other day, "a. film of the flax industry. Now., that interests us very much, and we would like to be taken : over . your flax growing areas." That is but one illustration out of many that might be quoted of the fruit being-borne by; the Dominion's publicity -campaign— •: a campaign which the Department intends to intensify. . ."• ■■''.• -:. The Department relies upon threei avenues through which it can disaemin--ate its information, the film, the" booklet, and the spoken word, the ; most potent of the three channels being the : film: but all three in conjunction.; can be and are used to good effect. It has ;■ been obvious for some time that the neighbouring Commonwealth offers a ;• fruitful field for an intensive publicityj campaign, so a special film with a spe< cial lecture for our Australian neighbours, has been prepared which, in the hands of the two new publicity officers who are to be stationed inSydnjeyancL - Melbourne, should bring home to many; the attractions of the Dominion! and help to swell next summer's quota of. tourists. Later on a similar campaign •will be carried on throughout the United States and Canada, where there is a wide field "waiting for exploitation. New films and new booklets, chief amongst the latter being on§ : dealing; with the arts and crafts of the Maori; will pave the way for future* lee* turers. ... ROMANCE IN THE FILM. As lias been pointed. -out, '..the; Department relies : for its publicity propaganda very largely upon the film. The scenic films already exhibited byj the Department have created favourable comment wherever shown, and in' themselves have "been the cause ofi countless thousands of inquiries .about the Dominion, as well as the "influx of many tourists. Few people here realise the number of theatres in the States and elsewhere which regularly exhibit a few hundred feet of film dealing with some aspect of life in New Zealand. Good as they have been in thai past, it is the Department's intention to make their films even better in the future. Concentration is now being made upon special' pictures^ -.pictures which to their scenic beauty.•- have, added romance and historical-informa- ; tion. Tor instance, one dealing with! ■'* the gold-mining industry does not stop' short at depicting simply the workings as they are at the present .day.• A 1 glimpse is given into the romance ofi , the past, into the days of gold rushes, -..•■ and eoaehes, the greatest care being taken to make every incident, historic-r ally, accurate. Then again, take:that wonderful heritago • from the past, the! "Waipoua forest, practically the: last? stand of the lauri king; of it ifcis easy] ; enough to make a scenic: picture, but the Department has done more. The* ." forest is depicted as what it meant ! toj. . the Maori: it was his homo and hunt* ; ing ground, and by gradual steps, thei watcher of the film is led to realise! ; what a priceless asset-the Dominion1 has' in its kauri'forests, an asset: of sentimental and historical value also,and to a desire to see the forest for himself. '■-. , , ■ • ÜBIQUITOUS CAMEBA-MEN. The topical films that the Depart" rnent makes, and these cover practically every event of interest and importance throughout the Dominion, aref of great value in showing to oversea^ people how wo live and ' enjoy ourselvos in New Zealand, dispelling erroneous ideas about any- : lack oj6J civilisation. Some of the: topicaV "shots" become of wbrldovide' interest, a recent example of this being tho] stranding of the C. A. Larsen at Stewart Island. The film nien^happened toj bo down that way for the yachting races, and were enabled to photograph. the. whole of the mishap. . ... '.: ■. < Tho now laboratories at Miramar^ which should be ready early in April,equipped as they will be with all thej very latest in tho cinematograph world, will enable tho Department's film menj : to do,evon better work than; thejj have in the past, and the studio there, will give added facilities for finishing touches to the films on .the lines ofj . those described. •"...■: . . Every little helps, and it is the sarnej in publicity work as in other callings* Hence every endeavour is made to at-t tract and hold the visitor's attention; when ho enters any of tho Dominion'^ „ publicity offices wherever ''situated*' Beautiful pictures on the walls, attract- . ively-got-up literature on the table, all theso assist. At tho present time, in,'. tho central offico in AVellington, a most striking model of a Maori canoe cannoti fail to hold attention. This model, some; 4ft in length and correct in evory do* . tail, gives tho visitor some idea of the craft in which the Maoris, of old yoy-i aged across tho ocean to their new; home, and cannot fail to excite inter* est. It is. the work-ol Mr. Hebber« - ley, of Petone, whoso father was an expert wood-carver also. - Other things olj interest to bo, distributed throughout the offices in course of time includo sped* mens of Maori arts and crafts from the] now school at Rotorua. ... _ As a result of the Government's pub< licity campaign, gone is the day, we; hope, when New Zealand is thought: ; to bo an island appendage of Australia and inhabited by fierce, savages.. Hi has been worth while to,make ourselves ; known, and money spent in that direoi tion, although not returning: directljj through the coffers of the Publicity De* partmont, nonp the less returns '.'.to th«j Dominion in increasing amcutnts* r *" [j ' " ■ '" • .-~ ■""" t