WHY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS SOMETIMES CRASH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21021, 9 May 1930, Page 2

WHY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS SOMETIMES CRASH.

In the course of a lecture to the Christchurch Advertising Club recently, Mr Vincent H. Freeth, director of the CattsPatterson Company (N.Z.) Ltd., made some pertinent points. Often, in practice, he said, a manufacturer’s enthusiasm for his product leads him to launch out without making a comprehensive survey of the market and the strength of competition. This is one of the most fruitful causes of failure of a selling and advertising campaign, especially if this condition is allied with insufficient capital. Failure to determine upon a definite selling plan ia a great contributor to nonsuccess in advertising and selling. A plan for advertising and selling should be reached after the closest investigation, and one determined upon should be maintained with absolute rigidity and despite disappointments. Often a manufacturer with adequate capital and plenty of courage for ordinary business organisation will play with advertising. He will try it for three months and “see what happens.” Usually it takes a very much longer period than this to establish a product in public consciousness, t and often the full effect of the advertising is not felt until some time after the original campaign has been launched. If a manufacturer has not the resources to develop an advertising and selling campaign on a national scale, let him exploit the zone system. In this case the campaign should be launched in the territory which can be most easily worked from a distribution and sales viewpoint. This initial effort will supply him with very valuable information which he can use most profitably as he extends Lis'campaign further afield. The advertiser still exists who releases his advertising campaign and sits back waiting for people to storm their way in to buy his goods—and he is very disappointed when they do not. All that most -advertising will do ia to break down barriers of prejudice, apathy, ignorance, or indifference. The job it does is educational, It helps to make it easier for salesmen to sell. If the advertiser fails to follow up his advertising by window display at the point of sale, or he fails' to educate his dealers and enthuse their salesmen, he will not get sales.