ADVERTISING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22366, 13 September 1934, Page 16

ADVERTISING

PRESS THE FIRST MEDIUM "In 'the business world to-day advertising is a constructive force of the first magnitude. This is recognised not only by business leaders, but also by economists and political thinkers alike. The present is distinctly an advertising age," said Mr E. A. Clark, of the J. llott, Ltd., Advertising Agency, in an address in Wellington on Tuesday night. Man’s wants increased through education, and one of the important vehicles of that education was advertising. It was advertising that had educated the world to change to the safety razor, to install radio, and to discard brooms and brushes for the vacuum cleaner. Advertising was a public benefit. It had led to far higher standards of quality, for a firm that set out to market a product which filled a want had to see that that product would stand up to the claims of the advertising. If the product did not do what was claimed for it, then it would not survive. Secondly, advertising had lowered the costs of goods to the public. This lowering had been, brought about by the fact that it was less expensive to produce in large quantities than in small. Mr Clark went on to deal with the fundamentals of advertising, and in detail with the advertising campaign. There was no golden rule as to the best media to use for advertising, he said. Each campaign presented its own particular problem, and the selection of media had to be made with the utmost care. “ In the majority of campaigns which are planned in New Zealand and which cover a product or service that has general demand,” said Mr Clark, “ the newspapers, undoubtedly take first place, and are looked upon as the backbone of the campaign. Although the're are several excellent magazines published here, the advertiser is quick to perceive that when it comes to ‘telling New Zealand’ the New Zealand press gives the widest possible scope for complete coverage at the most economical cost. You can, therefore, take it as standard that in New Zealand the newspapers constitute the backbone of the majority of the biggest campaigns for nationally distributed lines that have general appeal.”