Introduction
Most corporations use advertisements to make money. This marketing strategy aims at increasing the number of consumers by influencing potential customers. Multinational companies have resorted to using schools to advertise their products. As a marketing environment, schools contain many potential buyers who are easy to convince. As a result, food-based industries and fashion entities are continually targeting learning institutions in order to capture their massive market base. However, such advertisements present various disadvantages. Although corporate advertising serves as a source of income for schools, it should not be encouraged in institutions of learning because it has a direct impact on the health of students and further promotes a materialistic mindset.
The Impact of School Advertisements on Children’s Health
Most advertisements that target school-going children sell food and beverages, usually with adverse health effects. According to a report by Velazquez, Black, and Kent (2017), 49% of the advertised products promoted unhealthy eating habits compared to the 13%, which contained educational messages on the benefits of proper eating habits. Velazquez et al. (2017) add that 58% of the posters in schools were oriented towards fast food products, such as beverages, which do not align with the standards set by the government on marketing nutritional content. Even worse, the advertisements focused on high school children who have a greater appetite for sweetened things, which further increased the sales for such corporations (Velazquez et al., 2017). Advertising in schools only benefits the profit-hungry corporations at the expense of childrens’ health; consequently, it should be prohibited.
The Role of School Advertising in Fostering Materialism Among Children
Advertising in schools promotes materialism among schoolchildren. In their research, Foxman, Mateescu, and Bulger (2016) discovered that exposure to two minutes of advertising in a twelve-minute program had a high likelihood of inducing materialistic tendencies in viewers. Evidently, besides food and beverages, corporations often market clothing and beauty products due to the vast market, which consequently spurs materialism among schoolchildren. Such a marketing strategy is even suited to contemporary society, which mostly emphasizes fashion due to social media, magazines, and celebrity influences. Consequently, to reduce the growing materialistic attitudes among children, advertising in schools should not be allowed.
The Financial Benefits of Corporate Advertising for Schools
On the other hand, schools benefit financially from corporate advertising. Macedo (2010) explains that with corporate ads, schools can survive various financial difficulties. Financial crises tremendously affect the sustainability of schools; for example, without funds, schools cannot meet the financial needs of teachers, which might force some of them to quit. Advertisements have various economic benefits: For instance, the approval of an ad in 15 schools in Sweetwater Union High School District generates $1 million annually, while the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee aims at collecting $230,000 from advertisement, per year, for their five schools (Macedo, 2010). Undoubtedly, the financial incentives provided by corporate advertisements are an undeniable benefit for many schools.
Conclusion
Even with the financial advantages it offers to schools, corporate advertising has long-term impacts on young children. Advertising in schools often targets the vast numbers of consumers in schools who can be easily manipulated, considering the products on offer. By focusing on fast foods and beverages, which entice the target group, large companies experience an increase in the sales of their products. However, such advertised products increase the prevalence of health concerns, such as cardiovascular diseases among children. Worse still, the companies focus on materialistic items, such as clothes and beauty products, which further spurs materialism as a social construct among children. However, in a broader sense, the financial incentives enjoyed by schools is a critical factor in most of these agreements.
References
Foxman, M., Mateescu, A., & Bulger, M. (2016). Advertising in schools (Working Paper 09.07.2016). New York, NY: Data & Society Research Institute. Retrieved from https://datasociety.net/pubs/ecl/Advertising_primer_2016.pdf
Macedo, D. (2010, September 27). Advocates debate using advertising in schools to raise funds in budget crisis. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/2010/09/27/advocates-debate-using-advertising-in-schools-to-raise-funds-in-budget-crisis.htmlVelazquez, C., Black, J., & Kent, M. P. (2017). Food and beverage marketing in schools: A review of the evidence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(9), 1054-1568. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14091054
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