Documentary News Letter (1940)

10 DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER DECEMBER 1940 DOCVNEPiTARY mm UTTER MONTHLY FOURPENCE NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 1940 DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER is issued only to private subscribers and continues the policy and purpose of World Film News by expressing the documentary idea towards everyday living. DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER is produced under the auspices of Film Centre, London, in association with American Film Center, New York. EDITORIAL BOARD Edgar Anstey Arthur Elton John Grierson Donald Taylor John Taylor Basil Wright EDITOR Ronald Horton Outside contributions will be welcomed but no fees will be paid. We are prepared to deliver from 3 — 50 copies in bulk to Schools, Film Societies and other organisations. Owned and published by FILM CENTRE LTD. 34 SOHO SQUARE LONDON W.l GERRARD 4253 THE SHAPE OF ADS. TO COME By W. BUCHANAN-TAYLOR, Honorary Publicity Adviser to the National Savings Committee and President of the Incorporated Society of Advertisement Consultants. An address delivered at the Publicity Club of Leeds on October 17th, 1940 (abridged). Often I wonder if, when this war draws to a conclusion, the people in advertising will expect to start again where they left off. I am sure that in the minds of most of those concerned, the present situation is nothing more than a hiatus. I make no bones about boldly prophesying that if such a belief exists a great many people are in for a shock. Advertising will not pick up where it left off. That is certain. I make this statement in face of the smug satisfaction which rests serenely on the minds of the people who have appointed themselves as official caretakers of advertising interests. This coterie, which bears the headpiece of a so-called ruling body, has done absolutely nothing for the benefit of advertising as a business nor for those employed in it, since that memorable day, the 3rd of September, 1939. While they have twaddled conventionalities, some evidences of progress have emerged in other places. For instance, for the first time in the history of advertising, the rank and file workers have founded a union. The causes of this foundation are not far to seek. They can be found in the incontrovertible fact that when the Big Funk happened, in the wake of war, the rank and file were scattered adrift like cremated bones strewn to the four winds of heaven. Many of those advertisers and advertising agents who were so fond of proclaiming at conventions that no less than £100,000,000 was spent yearly on advertising in Great Britain, cut down their staffs ruthlessly. Many of the heads fled instantly to remote parts of the country, keeping a mere skeleton staff to carry on. The few who did not panic kept their ground and treated their staffs reasonably. For the most part, however, they moved out frantically to the tune of "Run, Rabbit, Run." At the outbreak of war there were far too many agents, even though recognised agents had been cut down in number from over 800 to something like over 300. Naturally, what with newspapers reduced from 16 and 20 pages in extent to 8 and then 6 pages, and rationed space, it was not possible to maintain all the agencies which had previously eked out an existence. Some of them had to go. It took a war to bring about overdue elimination. Many of them had lived precarious lives even in the days of comparative plenty. Will they come back in the post-war era? I doubt it. By the time that period comes round much more elimination will have happened. And with that elimination will come many changes and reforms. By the time this war is over we shall be much wider awake to the realities of life, more at grips with the essential fundamentals, and infinitely wiser about production, consumption, quality and actual necessaries. And, incidentally, we shall be less slavish in our habits, less casual in our outlook, less liable to take things for granted and certainly more practical in our choice of goods and consumables. If you ask me if the post-war buying public is going to be satisfied with, or attracted by, the pre-war advertising blandishments and principles, I am tempted to say no. Has it ever occurred to you to re-examine the pre-war claims made for certain much advertised commodities? Do you recall the extraordinary number of things without which life and happiness were incomplete? Let us look at what I call the "can'ts". You'll remember that a new kind of starvation was invented and that without a regular dosage of the commodity with which starvation was associated, you couldn't hope to get to sleep of a night. Then, you couldn't have a white sheet, a white nightdress ora white camisoleunlessyou used one of those soap powders which seemed to abound. Boys and girls were going around hiding their shirts and things, lest they should be compared with their whiter neighbours" "what-nots". Think of the number of advertised products without which life was well-nigh unlivable. Your catarrh could be crashed in 24 hours for one shilling ; yet medical and other scientists have been searching for years for a cure of this dread ailment, which is so prevalent throughout the country. They have not yet succeeded. One can only conclude they don't know anything about the subject. They needn't have wasted all those years on research. For one shilling they could have bought the freely advertised solution and could then have devoted their spare time to something really useful. There was a series of adverts headed "Mr. Can and Mr. Can't". They proclaimed the benefits to be derived from the use of an oldestablished aperient. Nothing sacred: not even common decency. What has become of B.O.? And what was B.O. anyway? All the soap in the world could not diminish B.O. if the condition was constitutional or acquired from dirty innards. A schoolgirl complexion was promised by another soap purveyor. I'll warrant that more schoolgirl