Advertising In Schools
What Educators and Parents Need to Know about In-School Marketing
School advertising may seem like an easy way to increase much-needed revenues for your school district. But it may wind up costing your kids more than you realize.
In an effort to compensate for declining revenues, many school districts have turned to allowing big name companies to promote their products within school walls. Proponents of this practice claim that it allows cash-strapped schools to provide programs and courses that they otherwise would not be able to afford. Yet critics argue that exposing our children to advertising for profit is exploitative and inappropriate for an entity that should have children’s best interests as its top mission. What are some of the ways advertising might be showing up at your school?
Sponsored Educational Materials. SEM’s are often a big hit with teachers, especially those from poorer schools who otherwise might pay for materials out of their own pockets. Usually these materials tie the product in with some sort of “educational lesson.” The materials are usually beautifully done and very appealing to kids and teachers alike. The problem is that the primary goal of the creators is to sell their product; not to educate kids. Content can easily be altered to fit the “message” that the company wants kids to receive. As a result, kids may be receiving misleading or incomplete information. The educational merit of these items should be evaluated carefully, and any hints of bias or exploitation should send up red flags.
Channel One. Though it has been banned in some major cities, Channel One continues to keep many lower-income school districts in its grip. In exchange for assuring that a percentage of students will view the daily Channel One program (complete with commercials for unhealthy food and other products), schools receive television sets and other equipment for the duration of the Channel One contract. Critics have argued that the cost of the instructional time wasted watching the show outweighs any monetary benefit from the “loan” of the equipment. And parents complain that it’s not the school’s place to expose kids to products and consumption values they don’t approve of.
Product Sponsorships. Schools can sign contract for exclusive “pouring rights” with, for example, soft drink companies. Schools are even paid bonuses if certain sales quotas are met. The hypocritical nature of pushing unhealthy products at kids in an educational environment, especially with the nation’s current focus on obesity in children, has caused parent uproar in many areas. As a result, many schools have cancelled these types of contracts.
A Captive Audience. Because kids are required to be in school, educational institutions who offer them to advertisers in exchange for money or other incentives are essentially providing companies with a captive audience. In addition, because the products are being presented in a school environment, kids are more likely to believe the advertising promises and take messages at face value. This is known as the “halo effect,” and advertisers are well aware of its power. Advertisers know that kids today wield an unprecedented amount of spending power, and getting their products in front of teens in the school setting is considered by many to be one of the most efficient ways of reaching them.
You may also be interested in Alcohol Advertising and Teens or New Cigarette Targets Girls.
