Marketing in schools is a widespread phenomenon in which

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

s sign contracts allowing certain businesses to conduct

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

activities in school facilities — primarily

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

. For example, a school might allow only one brand of soft drink to be sold in

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The ...

s on the campus; in return, the soft drink company would provide compensation to the school (frequently

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

, but it may provide other compensation as well, such as building new facilities or paying for school supplies). The phrase usually refers to arrangements by elementary schools or

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s, rather than

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

; because this marketing is seen as targeting children, it is very controversial. One example of this is

Channel One News Channel One News was an American news content provider. The daily news program was accompanied by commercial advertising for marketing in schools, with supplementary educational resources. The Peabody award-winning Channel One News program w ...

, a

TV show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...

, branded as

educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

, shown in schools that shows two minutes of advertising. Channel One is shown in over 11,500 middle and high schools across the United States, reaching 7.7 million students. Many find the practice objectionable. Some argue that it can encourage unhealthy behaviour in children; for example, the drinking of soda or the consumption of fast food. More generally, some people object to the entire concept of marketing to children, fearing that they are easier to influence and that this marketing is unethical, or that it interferes with the values they may wish to teach their child. The practice has come in for harsh criticism especially from many on the

political left Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

; for example, the magazine ''

Adbusters The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia. Adbusters describes itself as "a global network of artists, activis ...

'' has run numerous features attacking the practice. Many schools defend the practice, noting that it is a source of valuable revenue, allowing programs that might otherwise go unfunded.{{fact, date=January 2022

References

Education issues Marketing by target group

See also

References