Advertising in the Schools ?

[crispygoat]

Should advertising in the schools be allowed or not ?

I have a project to do for tomorrow, and for some reason I can't find any reasons why it shouldn't be allow in schools....


... maybe because I am going to study advertising next year ?

[MakiSupaStar]

No. I'm on my iphone so my typing is limited. Research exclusive district contracts with coca cola and frito lay and look up how its related to childhood obesity.

[steve21]

In 1776 Pepsi Cola signed the Declaration of Independence.

[Pilgrim]

One argument is always that public schools are publicly funded, and therefore do not operate in the interest of commercial businesses. I'm referring to the ethos that public facilities should not necessarily be advertising venues.

However, if a school (K-12 or higher ed) made the administrative decision to accept advertising, as long as they went through a competitive bid process I suspect it would be legal. We all know of publicly owned facilities (especially sports venues) that accept a lot of advertising.

Whether it would be acceptable to the community, I don't know. That might vary a lot. If one had an underfunded school and gained a sponsor or advertiser who would help maintain the building, it might be popular with the community.

[Josh Ryan]

No. Let kids think for themselves for a while at least in one place.

[tplyons]

SHOULD is a broad question with plenty of different possibilities.
SCHOOLS is a broad term with plenty of different meanings.

Private institutions should be able to procure funding any way they wish. Public institutions as well, if they're in dire need of funding. A few Coca-Cola signs in order to provide a better education? Surely, as long as they don't ban bringing your own lunch, and as long as they don't start teaching that Coca-Cola is healthy, etc.

Advertising is one thing, it's all over the kid's clothes, backpacks, textbooks, why not the walls too?

FYI: My high school declined a contract with Coca-Cola because they required a certain number of Coke machines throughout the school, and required Coca-Cola advertising in premium locations at all our sporting events. My school refused due to the number of Coke machines they required.

Also, my college has a contract with Pepsi/Frito Lay. Same deal, plenty of machines, all over the dorms, academic buildings, etc. They have prime advertising space on our scoreboards and an exclusive distribution deal at our school. I don't mind it at all, they make great products and distribute other great products.

However, advertising in elementary schools? I would have a bit of a problem with this. High schools and above? Sure thing.

[jomahu]

only if it's for trojans.

[jrthebassguy]

Coca Cola has a contract with my college, and I effing hate it. Why? Cause I can't find a damn Dr. Pepper or a Mountain Dew anywhere on campus.

Damn communists.

[xifr]

There's the consumer conditioning argument (many people argue that advertising during children's tv shows condition children for consumerism, read up on these and apply them to schools).

It can undermine teacher sovereignty in the classroom (ie. trying to teach obesity in a school funded by mcdonalds or climate change in one funded by mobil) and can encroach on democratic process (what is to stop a political party or a corporation with a vested interest in that political party from advertising in schools).

Slippery slope and a blurring of the line (ie. ads now, what next? Could company executives become members of a school board in exchange for funding? Where do we draw the line of corporate power being too great and how do we avoid it being blurred?)

There are plenty more arguments, but the central issue here is that organisations who advertise seek a return on their investment. Many times this can conflict with the role of a school to create an educated public that can think critically and independently.

[MakiSupaStar]

Here's an article about it.

http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-3/advertising.htm

[BassChuck]

No. To many distractions in school as it is.

[sarcastro83]

Read a book called "The Corporation" by Joel Bakan. There is a very large chapter dedicated to advertising in schools, both public and private. Lots of really good information.

[WarofAges]

I think kids in school have very pliable minds...thats why schools try to teach good and right morals while the kids are young...obviously it didnt work for me.

It depends on the advertisements in my opinon. If health classes in school are try to teach kids to eat healthy, then it would be complete hypocritical BS to have like a coke or mcdonalds ad in a school.

maybe on the pro side throw in that advertising makes good money and the money that is being paid to the school by the company that is oging to put up the ad could be used to buy new supplies...or a better BAND ROOM!!!! my band was really crappy and that would be awsome for a school to have a decked out band room with realy nice eqipment

[fdeck]

No. Children can't distinguish between legitimate educational content and advertising.

On the pro side, use the advertising to show kids the ways that advertising is designed to manipulate them. That's what we do with advertising at home.

A local flower and gift shop came into my daughter's classroom to give an "educational" presentation about flowers. It was basically an infomercial. Each kid was sent home with a flyer, a 20% off coupon, and an invitation to a "flowers for kids" program at the shop, 10 miles from our house. We had to explain to our daughter why we weren't going to follow up on this, even though it was seemingly an educational program with the endorsement of the school.

[Disraeli Gears]

Originally Posted by jrthebassguy

Coca Cola has a contract with my college, and I effing hate it. Why? Cause I can't find a damn Dr. Pepper or a Mountain Dew anywhere on campus.

Damn communists.

My old school had a contract with Pepsi, which I hated. Sure, I could find mountain dew, which was good, but I somewhat dislike Pepsi and quite like Coke. My new school has a contract with Coke, but they're too afraid we're going to get fat (for the record, that's NOT a Rick Roll), so all they have is diet.. But I don't really care, there are a number of convenience stores that are close by, so it's not exactly difficult to get a good soda.

[Against Will]

Originally Posted by fdeck

No. Children can't distinguish between legitimate educational content and advertising.

I think you're really not giving kids enough credit. My middle school allowed some limited advertising, the high school I went to allowed much more. If it did anything, it made me and my classmates more cynical.

Kids today are bombarded by advertising, no doubt, but they're not as vulnerable as a lot of people think. The barrage has forced a lot of kids to get savvier quicker in terms of advertiser manipulation. The reason advertisers are expanding their campaigns so much, into guerilla and viral marketing, google ads, etc. is because people are becoming numb to the old methods and ignoring them.

I'm not saying that kids can't be manipulated by ads, especially at an early age. But saying they don't know the difference between someone trying to sell them something and educational material is going too far. If anything, I think there's a greater tendency for kids to be suspicious of new information until they're sure it's not trying to get them to buy anything.

That being said, I don't believe ads should be in school. Its bad enough they're all over the internet, all over the real world and in every nook and cranny of every conceivable media imaginable. School is bad enough without having to deal with that BS too.

On the other hand, its hard to say to a public school system: No, you will have to come up with $30 million somewhere else. If you really don't want ads in schools you'll have to vote to increase school's budgets, which means raising taxes, which no one ever wants.

[ImaStupidBaby]

Originally Posted by steve21

In 1776 Pepsi Cola signed the Declaration of Independence.

Your teachers are obviously not very bright.

Everyone knows it was McDonalds. I'm lovin it.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by Against Will

I think you're really not giving kids enough credit. My middle school allowed some limited advertising, the high school I went to allowed much more. If it did anything, it made me and my classmates more cynical.

Good point. I should have mentioned that my kids are 5 and 7.

On the other hand, its hard to say to a public school system: No, you will have to come up with $30 million somewhere else. If you really don't want ads in schools you'll have to vote to increase school's budgets, which means raising taxes, which no one ever wants.

The Madison schools have had to make some tough decisions. We have given up $millions of Federal subsidy money by refusing to implement certain mandated programs. Meanwhile, we have been pretty good about voting for school funding referenda in recent years.

[Jeremy Crockett]

Originally Posted by jomahu

only if it's for trojans.

[peterbright]

I think it should be explored for alternate funding for schools...with appropriate restrictions/conditions of course.