VALUE OF PUBLICITY.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17712, 16 May 1929, Page 4

VALUE OF PUBLICITY.

A SOUND DISSERTATION. ESSENTIAL IN ALL ACTIVITIES. Until the advent of motor competition the Railway Department was content to “hide its light under a bushel.” Not only did it not go out of its way to solicit custom for its passenger and goods services, but in Its manner of dealing with the public it raised unnecessary and vexatious difficulties in the way of people who desired to do business with it.

That the General Manager of the New Zealand Railways should now appear in the role of an advertising enthusiast is an indication, and a very welcome one, that the times have changed. On Wednesday evening he addressed the annual meeting of the Wellington Advertising Slub on the subject, “Publicity in its- Relation to Transportation.” It was, on the whole, a sound dissertation on the value of publicity as a force in commerce and transportation. More than a Salesman. But there were one or two slips For example: “As a commercial activity begins to become less of a monopoly the need of publicity becomes greater.” The latter part of the assertion is perfectly true. The keener the competition the greater the need for advertising. The. fact that the sellers of a commodity may have a monopoly of the market should noty however, mean that publicity is not necessary. As Mr Sterling himself remarked, the function of a director of publicity is to let the potential buyer know that there is something to sell. This rule of modern business applies as much to monopoly as to competitive trading. “Without publicity,” declared Mr Sterling, “we would be lost. With it we will perform a public service.” The publicity officer, he said, is more than a salesman. He is an educator. These observations are applicable to every department of commercial activity. Nay, more—organised publicity is being increasingly recognised as an effective medium of educating public opinion on various aspects of questions of the day. Such is its development, in fact, that there is need for a commensurate sense of responsibility on the part of the organisers. “Truth in advertising” Is now a generally-accepted principle in commercial publicity, because experience has shown that untruth does not pay. The same applies to that form of publicity which we call propaganda. As a medium of educating public opinion its force and influence are tremendous. It will continue to be so as long as people are convinced that the statements made express the sincere conviction of its authors, and that facts and figures cited can bo authenticated. It Pays. As the public’s confidence in the statements of advertisers and propagandists becomes more and more established, it becomes also increasingly necessary for tjiose who have something to sell, or views to express, to rely on adequate and effective publicity for the dissemination of their merits. There is a saying amongst the fair sex that one might as well be out of the world as o.ut of the fashion. By the same token, the modern advertisement is the display-window of the seller of commodities. Without It his shop or his warehouse might as well be closed.

From the public’s point of view, also, advertising pays. It pays the public to study the advertisements. Tlic announcement of a new railway excursion, of a house for sale, of someone’s desire to buy a house, of a lost dog, of a trading establishment’s wares, may have a commercial or personal motive, but it is nevertheless information of Interest and value to a great many people. The Railway Department has very wisely adopted various schemes for popularising travel on the trains. But it would never have succeeded had it not at the same time given the public news of what it was doing.—Dominion.