The limits of advertising

Posted at 2:55 PM on December 14, 2008 by Bob Collins (9 Comments)
Filed under: Marketing and advertising

Is this an idea that could catch on?

A teacher near San Diego is selling advertising on tests.

The ads pay for the cost of printing the tests. $10 for a quiz, $20 for a test, $30 for a final exam.

Let's think about this for a second. What other things can we sell advertising on to help generate some cash? How about the far left passing lane? Surely some Internet service provider would want to sponsor a 10-mile stretch here or there. How about the escalators in government buildings? Charles Schwab might buy the "up" side. I'm not sure how to market the "down" side.

Comments (9)

I agree that this is wrong. However, selling advertising at schools is not new - how many schools have sold their souls to Pepsi, Nike or even in college Beer companies.

Instead of being so afraid of new taxes, we as Americans should just pay for what is needed in education so educators need to resort to such tactics...

Posted by Lori Halverson-Wente | December 14, 2008 3:10 PM

This blog comment brought to you by:

P E P S I

When you really have to burp, why not have a Pepsi?
Now with extra caffeine and sugar to make you even jumpier and in that "buying mood" the other advertising agencies just drool over!

Posted by Erik Hare | December 14, 2008 3:36 PM

A local teacher made a similar non-joking offer on his blog after he first heard about the other teacher about ten days ago.

My sister's a teacher and often spends her own money on things to help her kids. As easy as it is to blame "underfunding" of education, tax increases and funding hikes would never go to the kinds of things that teachers spend money on. Socks and hats for kids who don't have them, for example.

School districts get all sorts of things sponsored now. I'm not sure I'm ready to take the leap into teachers getting sponsored, but I kind of admire the chutzpa.

Posted by Jason DeRusha | December 14, 2008 3:43 PM

Toilet paper? Kleenex? Especially during cold and flu season...

Posted by Minn Whaler | December 14, 2008 3:56 PM

I think we should put slots in the atrium of the school I teach in...that way parents will comes inside and we can also raise the cash we desperately need!

Posted by Douglas | December 14, 2008 8:59 PM

Possible sponsors for down escalators: Comforter and coat sellers, anti-depressants (are you feeling down today?), Evengelical Churches (Down is where you'll be going if you don't accept Christ).

Posted by brian | December 15, 2008 8:27 AM

I read that the teacher who is selling the ads is also marketing them to parents so they can say "good luck, Megan!" or something else that is cute-sy. If this becomes common practice, there will be more pressure on parents to buy ad space. It seems like I am always handing out cash as it is --field trips, bake sales, ice cream sales, candy grams -- it is just another way to pass the buck (no pun intended) on to the parents!

Posted by Krista | December 15, 2008 10:34 AM

I'm fairly certain I've seen, if not outright advertising, some kind of messaging on the risers of up escalators. As each new tread rises out of the floor, a word or ad appears on its front. Not very effective in high-capacity situations, but is otherwise a creative use of otherwise blank space.

Posted by bsimon | December 15, 2008 10:48 AM

Fortune cookies? Latte foam? Wedding bulletins?

Posted by Matt | December 15, 2008 11:16 AM