By: Michael E. Martinez

A marketing issue that is debatable is promoting products in schools from kindergarten to college campuses. For example, in one public school district in Philadelphia, PA, lunch menus were printed by the Cartoon Network. In addition to the lunch specials, the Turner Broadcasting logo, characters and promotions about upcoming shows were also on the menus. School districts are signing contracts with companies to help promote their products. There are many major arguments for practices used by companies to market their products in schools. Some companies have been known to give incentives to schools by making a donation if certain products are used in the schools such as computers, snacks, drinks and more. Since public schools are always seeming to be short on cash, I can understand why they would sell certain products at the school to make money.

Schools have contracts with computer companies to use only their computers in the school, sometimes leasing them. They sell a certain brand of soft drinks in the vending machines, usually at a discount. The schools have contracts with their milk distributors; these are quite common practices today. Sales promotions are sometimes better than plain advertising. Promotional products offer an incentive for someone to buy that particular product. Schools even sign contracts with photography companies to take school pictures. Fundraisers are well known at many elementary and secondary schools. By the children selling the company's products, a certain amount of money goes back to the school. The elementary schools almost to a point put a lot of pressure on the kids and their parents to buy and sell these products. After all, it's for the school.

It seems to me that school administrators are always finding ways to get money out the public for their school, there might even be too much emphasis being put on it and not enough on academics. My parents mentioned that while I was in elementary school, I was constantly bringing catalogs home to buy and sell for the school to raise money. Every time you turn around, they were being nickled and dimed to death. One of the controversies that is going around now is selling Coke and Pepsi in the school's vending machines. The problem that is coming up with this marketing strategy is the nutritional contents or lack of. Even if the schools didn't sell the Coke or Pepsi, they would be selling another product such as water or Snapple and another contract would be drawn up with money going back to the schools.

There isn't too many ways to get around this problem as one of the ideas for promoting products in public schools and on college campuses is money. The public wants good students for their children but they don't want to pay more taxes, so the schools have to come up with ways to supplement the gaps in spending. Selling certain products to make money for the school is an obvious answer. People are concerned about what products and what companies the school districts are involved with. I personally don't think elementary students care what products they sell, they just care about their prizes for selling so much. PTA's can become involved in this by helping the schools be selective in what products they are promoting and also making sure the products are appropriate for the age group.

Most of the time, candy and sodas are the main culprits. As far as raising money for the schools, fundraisers could sell more healthy products. Candy seems to be a quick selling item however; a dollar per candy bar being sold by 500 students can go a long way.