EMPIRE MARKETING BOARD.

Northland Age, Volume III, Issue 34, 2 September 1931, Page 4

EMPIRE MARKETING BOARD.

A REGIONAL “SALES DRIVE,” Another extension ot what may be regarded as the Board’s more direct commercial activities in the field of Empire marketing is instanced in a special campaign which was undertaken, at the beginning of 1931, in Lancashire with a view to increasing the f sales of home and overseas Empire butter in.that area. Here long established prejudice in favour of casked butters of pale + colour wa? held to be too deeply entrenched to permit an effective distribution being made ot Empire butters, particularly those from Australia and New Zealand. The board decided that, as large supplies were available of butter of first-rate quality from these Dominions, an effort should be made to overcome this sales resistance by a definite appeal to the distributive trades. The Board therefore, called into consultation the London Managers of the New Zealand and Australian Dairy Produce Boards and invited their co-operation in a concerted effort. * An office was accordingly opened by the Board in Manchester early in Januaiy. Calls were made in the first instance, upon the importers and wholesalers in Liverpool and Manchester and their co-operation in the scheme secured. The Board’s officers then proceeded to call upon every retailer in Manchester and certain other Lancashire towns in order to influence those who did not at present stock Empire butters. The results ot the campaign have been remarkably successful, 2,940 shops out of 6,620 visit' d were selling Empire butter when the campaign began, while, before it closed, the number had risen to 4,903, an increase of 2,000 shops selling Empire butter. The close co-operation ot thegiwo Dominion Dairy Produce Board’s unquestionably contributed to this success. There is clear evidence that the old prejudices against boxed butters have been broken down—it is hoped, permantly. The experience gained in this experiment of employing travellers without samples in close co operation with the representatives of the oversea Producers encourages the Board to believe that they have here a field capable of considerable extension. Indications suggest that the continued use of the three methods of approach, which have been a feature of the past years’ work in the field of marketing promotion, may materially contribute to Jhe Board’s success.