ADVERTISING AS A SPECIALTY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18822, 12 July 1923, Page 7

ADVERTISING AS A SPECIALTY

(By Frank Goldberg.) In all classes of commerce it is fast becoming a recognised fact that advertising is a specialised business which requires so much detailed knowledge and concentrated attention that the services of the advertising expert cannot profitably be done without. Just as the ever-in-creasing complications of law have obliged us to refer its problems to expert barristers and solicitors, so has publicity made such headway in recent years, that the men engaged in the production and distribution need the assistance of publicity specialists. In many businesses, it. is true, an endeavour is made to carry on advertising as part of the wort: of the firm, but the result is almost invariably that the ordinary commercial functions are neglected and the advertising funds are partially wasted. Advertising is an essential sendee to every man interested in the sale of goods or services, and the function of advertising specialist is to ensure that all the artifices of modern publicity are placed within the reach of those who care to use them.

It is sometimes urged that we cannot successfully advertise a product unless we know a good deal about it, and that, as the producer knows all about his goods, he should be able to advertise them most effectively. There is an element of truth in this contention, but it does not detract from the value of advertising' as a special art which must be brought into line with the principles of psychology and economics. To give the best results publicity must be handled by the expert forger of links of interest between producer and consumer. The modern advertising agency, however, would be the last organisation to decry the value of a thorough knowledge of the product or service. Indeed, it is one of the first alms of a well-equipped publicity office to master all the essential paints connected with a commodity —to know Its method of production, its present and prospective uses, its relation to competitors, and many other important details. All these points are studied minutely by the advertising specialist. Complaints are often heard that advertising is expensive, but these can apply only to weak and Ineffective advertising. When publicity is used In the wrong way, it becomes an expensive luxury. The ideal aimed at stiould be to ensure that the right class of advertisement Is used in the right place at the right time, and it requirles a high degree of skill and organisation to reacu .his ideal. Bad advertising is unioubtedly an expensive futility, but ffective advertising is the cheapest selling force in the world. The modern advertising agency oame into . xistance in response to the need for organised endeavour to make publicity effective and profitable to change it from an item of expenditure into a first-class investment. If advertising were a simple clence, any man could use ills spare time to master Its principles. But as publicity is a complicated art, trained specialists are required to

originate, compose, illustrate, ana place effective advertisements. Should a man lack that delicate institution which can quickly ana subconsciously apply the best methods of appeal, then he cannot fairly claim to be an advertising specialist. The aim of the modern advertising agency is to secure an ideal combination of organisation and art. For every campaign skilful organising is required, and for every appeal in tha> campaign the employment of high-class commercial art is essential. MODERN TENDENCIES IN ADVERTISING. There are two outstanding tendencies in advertising at the present day The first is the growing diversification of the forms of publicity. Whereas it was formerly considered sufficient to rely mainly upon one class of publicity, such as newspaper advertising, or the hoarding, there :s now a general endeavour to make use of a variety of forms of advertising. Thus it is possible to appeal o wider audiences, and arrange for one class of advertising to reinforce the influence of another. All thia means greater scope for organisation and art.

The other great tendency is towards co-operation in advertising. Business men are beginning to realise that the power of publicity is so great that individuals cannot always use it to the best advantage. In many instances, the best results can be achieved only by co-operative effort. The work of the individual advertiser is often rendered ineffective by the lack of funds and courage to advertise consistently and persistently. The individual advertiser is limited in his scope for publicity; he must rely mainly upon small advertisements, and his advertising tends to be more or less irregular. Only the man in a large way of business can advertise with the greatest force, and the very fact that he advertises effectively makes and keeps his business great. But the smaller man can still achieve great results through co-operative effort, which facilitates publicity in a comprehensive scale. In practically every line of business, there is a trade association pr some other organisation whose main object is now to regulate conditions of labour and improve tho trade. This is the type of organisation that should launch a programme of co-operative advertising. Each of these associations could form a special advertising cluo or committee, which should, in turn, co-operate with a first rate advertising agency to institute a great continuous campaign In favour of the class of goods produced by members of the association. In America co-operative or group advertising has been used with remarkable success by such organisations as the Rubber Association of U.S.A., the Coffee Traders’ Association, and Gas Manufacturers’ Association. The whole basis of these great campaigns in the United States has been a concerted effort to advertise the article or service rather than the individual producer or distributor. In New Zealand there is an enormous field for similar effort. One illustra-

tion will suffice.- Think what could be done in New Zealand to encourage the consumption of fruit. Group advertising by our fruitgrowers’ organisations would yield handsome results. The stipulation of demand, would be a boon to producers and consumers alike. In a few years the fruit-growing industry could be raised from its present struggling existence into a steadily remunerative business. In many other instances similar results could be obtained, particularly by co-operative advertising of first-class commodities.