Need for Research Into Marketing

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 174, 26 July 1935, Page 7

Need for Research Into Marketing

POSSIBILITIES BEING OVERLOOKED.

While agreeing that the marketing of butter, cheese, etc., was a job for traders, Dr. E. Marsden, secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, voiced the opinion that it was only one side of the business when speaking at the annual dinner of tho Palmerston North .-Chamber of Commerce last evening. He declared that much of our butter, cheese and meat was purchased on purely scientific methods, but how much did we know of the Teal reason behind the demand for our produce in Britain? lie asked. How much of the preference of tho consumer was determined by Empire sentiment or the taste of the product? How much did we know of the channels through which the produce reached the consumer? Surely it would be good market research to find out the basic truth of the facts which determined the purchase of our butter and cheese. Then and only then could we exploit good qualities or safely avoid undesirable factors.

The research possibilities in these directions, Dr. Marsden said, were suggested a few years ago, though they did not at that time commend themselves to the ordinary man, but the late Mr. Dynes Fulton had taken the matter up and had come back from a trip to England with a. very different viewpoint on the question. Unfortunately', Mr. Fulton had died shortly afterwards.

American firms had laboratories devoted entirely to the analysis of rival products, he informed tho gathering. Standardisation was another important factor in modern industry and the tendency was to turn over to methods of production involving standardised raw material, standardised processes and standardised finished products,