In July 1937, an ‘Advertising expert’ or what we might now call a marketing consultant attended our Council meeting and told us about collective advertising.

Nuswift, a member firm, had proposed this agenda item, saying that all member companies were advertising individually, and collective advertising might have advantages.

However, the marketing man put the estimated costs of a scheme at £2,500 a year.

At this time, FETA had about £125 in the bank and total annual membership fees of something over £60, so it did not seem possible.

The representative from Antifyre said ‘the main problem was that we were selling a man something which he buys in the hope that he will never want to use it’, which is still quoted as an original thought from time to time.

The FIA now have a marketing team and a Marketing Group to help promote our members and the industries key messages.