ADVERTISING NEW ZEALAND.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14006, 10 March 1920, Page 2

ADVERTISING NEW ZEALAND.

ORGANISED CAMPAIGN URGED. The value of advertisement was emp.hasised by Mr J. ,T. Martin. „of the vVellington Cmanfber of Commerce, nc the Chambers Conference in regard• tht. loss sustained by the Dominion through lack of publicity. He moved: '•Thati the necessity be urged upon the Government of an organised and if-fc-ctive publieity"campaign to advertiseNow Zealand and its product's in Great Britain and in other overseas markets." The mover,described the conditions at Home where, by dilatory and out-of-date methods, .our primary products lo*t their identity as New Zealand 1 uttei, cheese, lamb, and mutton in order that the goods should be sold at the high prices which better-known and more widely-advertised brands were able to command. Tt was a grave reflec- ; ticn on our management that the producer at this end could not get the parity value tor his quality. Notwithstanding the high quality of the goods producers were obliged-to accept lower' prices than Canada and Denmark to the extent of 2s 6d for cheese and 2s for butter per cwt.- For mutton and lamb they had always been obliged to accept lets*'"than their value on the Smithfield markets

"We want." said N Mr Martin, "New ZealancK products to" be sold as. New Zealand produce and we must have the. right demand created." To do this, he added, required extensive advertising, and this was a matter for Government attention, and should not "be left to private enterprise. Mr Martin outlined suggestions, made by Lieuteuanf T>re\v. late N.Z.E.F., who had attended to the publication in British papers of the exploits cf New Zcalanders at l!io front. Nothing whatever on'an organised «eale was. being done by New Zealand at Home. The fault was not Willi! the High Commissioner, who, under the circumstances, had done very well, but in the absence of initiative on tho part of those who controlled affairs at this end. The High Commissioner's Office had beci. almost \totally neglected. There was no department, in New Zealand to which it was directly' respon, '•'ible; it had no New Zcalanders attached to it with recent knowledge pf Ne,v Zealand affairs; the High Commissioner had no officer at his disposal expert in publicity "methods, no money was allocated for publicitv purposes at Home or abroad ; the able advertising medium of ■photography and cinematograph nhn was almost totally ignored; few pamphlets were issued, and literature dealing with New Zealand was perfunctorily supplied' from this end. Certainly the Prime Minister had referred to this matter recentlv in publie with the promise that something would) be done, hut the conference,should urge upon him the necessity for early action. As one instance of the condition of affairs at Home, it might be mentioned 1 that, the latest photographs which adorn the Public Office of the High Commissioner's establishment bear the -late 1902. and show cities of New Zealand, as tlicv were at that date —18 years ago. These are the latest the Office has been able to secure.

The London -establishment required 1 to be staffed: with New Zealanders. whoso period there should be limited! to three or four years, except in special cases in which it might be desirable, to have, greater permanence. A. ■ournalist of push and initiative, who had practical experience of fhe peculiarities of London journalism, should be apoointed. and the office kept more directly in touch 1 with New Zealand affairs, and supplied with New Zealand news. The principle should also be recognised that money spent on |. that office was money well invested, *ind it should not be starved as in the past. It was absurd to suggest that it would he sufficient to send 'weekly rubles of news to London, and expect the papers to publish it. This experiment, had been tried, and had failed.

Special articles were required for tho periodicals a* occasion offered; and there: should be employment at times of famous writers, such as Conan Doyle, Rider Haggard,. H. G. Wells, Harold Begbie. and others, and", if necessary,, these men should be encou- [ raged to visit New Zealand and take a writer's interest im her affairs. It should be remembered that these publicists had; ; a '.very large circle of read- ■ ers.- aiid that anything . they might writqj was often Widely read, simply r 'because it .appeared under their names. Thei. advertising value of. the film ,should also be exploited to its fullest I extent, and that could only be' done through the gnedium" of the large producing houses—Pathe's for preference, who during the 'war were very keen to assist the. Divisional Publicity Officer, so" long , as they obtained exclusive rights oyer New Zealand matter. Publicity, or national propaganda, operated insidiously and through devious -channels. Some indication of this could be gathered from the. methods now employed by' America, whose, activities in. the film line at present were noticeable in filmost every World's News Gazette displayed in any New Zealand picture theatre. Almost every .change of programme seen out here coiitained items showing phases of America's development, or the part, she has supposed to have playe'd' in the war.- Tt was all publicity propa r ganda. New. Zealand must take cognisance of such methods and exnjoit them. In London the most should" be made in the press of the utterances of' our ' public men when they went Home. Finally, there. should be es-' tablished out here a department dealing directly "with London office affairs, attending to its 'instant wants, and should be a. greater recognition of tho importan.ee of the office 7 . Advertising propapanda of the right kindhad helped largely to populate Canada and influence capital in that direction. "Our .soldiers," said Mr ' Martin, "have broken the ground"and directed attention to this country by their splendid physique and valor, and have in and out of season constantly preached the Dominion's wonderful resources in agriculture and mineral'wealth, the srrandness of its natural scenery, and its splendid climate. Let us follow uptheir good work." The remit was. adopted unanimously.