REAL NECESSITY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 833, 5 August 1933, Page 21 (Supplement)

REAL NECESSITY.

Advertising to Encourage Buying. VALUE TO DAIRY BOARD. / " It will be admitted quite frankly that the £IOOO a year available from the present levy for advertising is totally inadequate when used to advertise a product worth over £15,000,000," declared Mr T. C. Brash, secretary of the Dairy Board, addressing dairy factory delegates yesterday. “ Advertising is an absolute necessity, especially in view of the threatened restrictions,” he added, “ for it is necessary to encour-

age the consumption of dairy produce in Great Britain.” Mr Brash said that the board at its inception had decided to give special attention to advertising overseas and the costs had been spread equitably over the whole industry. For some time the board had concentrated on the North of England and had carried on campaigns in various cities and towns. Grocers were approached and special displays of New Zealand butter and cheese were arranged. Special occasions had been utilised to ” boost ” the Dominion’s produce and the industry could rest assured that the board’s advertising staff was doing excellent work with the limited sum available. When the board began operations the levy collected from all dairy produce exported was l-16d per pound of but-

ter and l-32d per pound of cheese. That levy had been reduced by one-half in 1927, so that while the advertising expenditure in 1927-28 had been £20,000, in 1932-33 it was £12,000. When the levy was at the higher rate the board had been able to set up reserve funds, but those had been used for advertising purposes along with any surplus available from the smaller levy. The reserves were exhausted and the total amount available for expenditure per annum on the present levy was £IO,OOO. It was interesting to note the amount spent by firms on advertising some other commodities for three months only in 1932. On three brands of cigarettes there were spent the sums of £56,109, £48,592 and £24,749. Two chocolate and cocoa firms spent £31,677 and £52,792, and other similar sums were spent by patent medicine companies.