VALUE OF PUBLICITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19953, 23 May 1928, Page 12

VALUE OF PUBLICITY.

USES OF ADVERTISEMENT. EXHIBITION IN AUCKLAND. DISPLAY OF WIDE INTEREST. : The Advertising Exhibition in the Town Hall, organised by the Auckland Advei*tising Club, was officially opened by the Minister of Health. Hon. J. A. Young, yesterday afternoon. The display occupies the entire floor space of the main hall, the concert chamber and the supper room,: and is the largest demonstration of modern advertising methods held in the Dominion. The art of extolling the merits of New Zealand manufactures is elaborated with marvellous wealth of detail and colour, hundreds of gaily-tinted posters transforming tho balconies into, extempore art galleries. " A school in which we may learn what New Zealand makes and how she sells it," was the apt way in which th® Minister worded his impression of the exhibition. " There is no one who can. not learn something by coming here," he told tho large gathering which attended tho opening ceremony, On the platform were the Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, and the Mayoress, Mrs. A. D. Campbell; the Town Clerk, Mr. J. S. Brigham; the president of the Advertising Club, Mr. L. A. Eady and Mrs. Eady; Mr. W. J. Jordan, M.P., and Mrs. Young, mother of the Minister. Advertising in Business. In introducing the Minister, Mr. Eady acknowledged the support • accorded the exhibition by the Government, the City Council and other important bodies and business interests. He congratulated the Govornment on the fine work accomplished in making better known overseas the manifold attractions of the Dominion, and in following a policy of advertising in other countries which had resulted in the Dominion being placed in the forefront of the Empire. The co-operation shown was exceedingly gratifying and an acknowledgement of the part played by modern advertising in business. Declaring the exhibition open, the Minister referred to Auckland as the city of his birth. He still remembered playing as a boy among the handsaw pits in the railway yards, where logs were cut and trimmed to build the houses of Auckland. No other town in the Dominion had made such substantial progress in the last half-century. Mr. Young described, with the aid of figures, the romantic growth of the city and province, mentioning that in the past five years the province had accounted for 44 per cent, of the total increase in New Zealand's population. With the growth and expansion of tho city and province an increasing part was played by advertising. By advertising one meant not only salespianship and the selling of goods, but tho delivering of a message to the people. A man who manufactured something of value owed it to the community to make known the virtues of his goods. The service performed by those engaged in advertising was, therefore, a community one. Among the leading avenues of advertising were tho newspapers, which, not only in their news. columns but also in their advertising pages, rendered a great service by presenting information for the benefit and good guidance of the community. Government Publicity. The Government, the Minister continued, had shown its interest in the exposition by having stalls arranged by several departments. The exhibit prepared by the Publicity Department was intended to indicate the scope of the work carried on by tho Government in making known to tho people of other countries the attractions New Zealand had to offer and the development of her internal and external trade. "For years past," said Mr. Young, "the Government has taken a live 'interest in exhibitions of an Empire nature, and has made displays throughout the United Kingdom and in Canada. These exhibitions, showing our exportable products, our manufactures and our attractions from a health, sporting and scenic standpoint, have been most attractively advertised. Over £200,000 has been spent in the past five years at overseas exhibitions. I believe the showing of the goods we produce is one of the finest means of advertising the resources of the Dominion and developing trade with the markets of the world. From a publicity standpoint I believe I can claim, as a representative of the Government, that is is not only doing its share, but is taking a leading part in the improvement of effective publicity." Variety ol Exhibits. The main hall, which contains the most important exhibits, is the centre of endless interest. In it will be found almost every conceivable form of the publicity expert's art, dealing with things great and small. A large stall is occupied by the Jubilee Instituto for the Blind, containing numerous articles manufactured by the inmates. Numerous effective displays have been arranged by Government departments. The Overseas Publicity Board is responsible for exhibits depicting industrial and commercial pursuits, and examples of the Dominion's products receive prominence. This section of tho exhibition gives a clear indication of the great strides made in New Zealand's trade during tho past 50 years, and symbolical displays indicate in striking fashion tho growth of the country. The Railway Department aiso has several interesting displays. Numerous excellent photographs are also displayed by the Tourist Department. The Auckland City Council has provided an interesting section showing the growth of the city. An order paper of 1881 consists of one sheet, and alongside it is a present-day order paper of 119 closelytyped foolscap sheets. Many private firms have excellent displays which deal with almost every type of business or trade. The model house, which is erected on the main floor, contains every modern household convenience. A musical programme was played last evening by the Oneliunga Citizens' Band. The exhibition will open to day at noon and will close at 10 p.m.