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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 1, 1929.)

The Function of Publicity

The Function of Publicity.

“What,” continued Mr. Sterling, “is the function of a Director of Publicity? It is to let the potential buyer know the worth of what he has to sell.” The function of the publicity agent went far beyond that of mere cold-blooded salesmanship. He must be a public educator. “If he rises to this idealisation of his duties and opportunities he gets a position in public estimation that is really worth while. He ranks with the world's professional educators—its statesmen, architects, edusationists, doctors and engineers.

Mr. Sterling said that in administering the affairs of the Railways he aimed to place its publicity service on this plane. In order to bring its efficacy to the maximum it must be raised in dignity on a scale comparable with other professions.

The early economists used to describe the commercial traveller as the only man who was not a producer. In some aspects of advertising, that is, where it performed similar functions to those of the commercial traveller, it could be given a similar classification. “But,” he continued, “in their realisation of the purposes and opportunities of business the later economists had got beyond that stage, and put both in a higher rank. They now recognised both to be
New Zealand's Crack Train. Daylight Limited leaving Frankton Junction, North Island.

New Zealand's Crack Train.
Daylight Limited leaving Frankton Junction, North Island.

page 21 part of the cost of production—a necessary antecedent to putting the goods into the hands of those who required them.”