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https://best-essay-service.org/Brand names usually work as a prompt of perception that discern a product as one that people know or as the one that is associated with definite perceptual peculiarities. A brand name can be associated with conceptual or symbolic meanings and prestige, or convey status. Research has shown that young children read brands on a perceptual level, while those aged sixteen years and above relate to brands on a conceptual level. Children have the ability to recognize brand names at their early ages, and this recognition ability increases, as they grow older (Rubin, 2009). Naturally, this fact could not be missed out by the advertisers; as a result, there are many hidden and explicit commercials in the modern schools. The aim of this essay is to explore and to show that commercial advertising in school districts does not only impose certain point of view to the children, but also contributes to the learning and developmental processes of the children.
Notoriously, children absorb any information very quickly. The issue of understanding brand names at a conceptual level, as well as being able to relate the name to the same product while making consumer decisions and judgments, is the crucial part of consumer socialization in children. For children to be able to think about brand names in a conceptual level, they need to posses certain abilities. They need to distinguish names of different brands as a way of identifying the specific products within the given category, and as a distinctive and separate entity of the product different from the packaging and the product itself. Once the children are in the position of identifying a brand name as a discrete product part, they should be able to think about the brands at an abstract level by connecting the brand name to the non-observable features such as prestige, quality, and trendiness (Rubin, 2009).The history of advertising in schools can be traced to the beginning of the twentieth century. Many people think that commercial advertising in schools has created many problems to school-going children, but this is not the case, because adverts have helped them to understand the facts about the world. Studies show that due to the increased reduction of public funding and reduction of budgets, a lot of schools across the globe seek to increase profits by selling commercials on the school property. Various companies put ads on the wall spaces, athletic facilities, and school buses as a way of advertising their products (Andersen & Strate, 2000).Critics of commercial advertising in schools have discriminated this form of attaining revenues to run the school programs, because many adverts do not add any benefit to the school children, but they instead promote the issue of violating human rights. On the other hand, advocates of commercial advertising defend such kind of programs by claiming that children get exposed to such kind of adverts even when they are outside the school environment. Commercial advertising in schools should, therefore, be encouraged as a way of raising funds to run the programs of the school (Public Citizen’s Commercial Alert, 2012).Critics argue that advertising in schools exposes children to marketing harmful products, as well as teaches them that everything is meant for sale. Research shows that the major problem is not advertising in schools, but the issue is that the amount of money issued for the project is not channeled to the intended programs; instead, it is used in the adverts. After the analysis, it was noticed that the children, who get exposed to the excessive advertising, encounter negative repercussions to their health, body image, self-esteem, personal development, and learning processes (The American Dream, 2012).Research indicates that the private agencies, which act as a link between the school districts and advertisers, seem to be the beneficiaries in this kind of process, since they are the people, who get away with the larger share of the amount issued out by the advertising companies. They always lock schools into the contracts, which last for many years, and they usually take twenty-five to fifty percent of the negligible revenues generated by the advertising campaigns, leaving the schools with a merger percentage of the issued amount and the negative effects of school commercialism (Hill, 2011).One of the greatest indicative examples of school advertising and its influence is Nike. Nike, Inc. has always done its advertisements in schools by supporting school developments; hence, forcing the administration to buy their products for their students, such as shoes and t-shirts for athletics and other games (Andersen & Strate, 2000). Analysis shows that commercial advertising in schools could be another way of promoting developmental projects within the school districts. Companies like Nike have proved to be beneficial to the national schools, like Head Start, where they introduced a program, which provided comprehensive education, nutrition, health, and parent involvement services to the low income children, as well as their families. Nike has collaborated with the school since 1990s on the educational outreach program, whereby it has contributed 5.7 million dollars to the school line project of equipping the school with 2,105 computers to run the various projects (Public Citizen’s Commercial Alert, 2012).The company was also involved in the program of partnering with the Sports Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) to launch the NIKEGO Afterschool program at Girls Club D.C and the Greater Washington Boys. This program was meant to bring physical activity programs, training, and lesson plans from SPARK, as well as donating Nike products to the kids, who were between the age of five and fourteen, to support the afterschool program in clubs and local parks (Rubin, 2009).Despite all the advantages, one may forget about one of the greatest disadvantages that school advertisements bring. It is child labor. Companies like Nike use schools to advertise their products and yet, it is a company that is associated with the use of sweatshops. Since 1970s, the company has always used sweatshops to carry out its production, and this has been unfair to the citizens. Nike has always experienced a rapid growth over the years; hence, moving its branches overseas. The company is associated with a record of child labor, low wage payments, and poor working conditions. With the help of thought-out marketing, children believe in Nike, Inc. Women represent the largest percent of the employees, who work there; whereby, the majorities are teens for long hours ranging from seven to thirteen hours a day for six days a week (Hill, 2011).The issue of allowing advertising in schools has not been the major issue that has led to the exploitation of many children, as well as the hindrance of schools from achieving educational and developmental goals, as many people tend to believe. Corporate advertisers have engaged themselves into advancing the values that run counter the schools they stand for. Advertising in schools has, therefore, empowered school programs; hence, enabling students to think critically and independently, as well as to develop intellectual curiosity, as opposed to the issue of being exposed to misleading advertisements. I believe that advantages, which advertising in schools brings, such as new school programs, additional funding of schools, and even new sportswear that parents do not have to buy, overlap the fact that children have to be influenced by the advertisements.ReferencesAndersen, R., Strate, L. (2000).
Critical studies in media commercialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Hill, J. (2011). Endangered childhoods: How consumerism is impacting child and youth identity.
Media, Culture & Society Journal, 33(3), 347-362.Public Citizen’s Commercial Alert. (2012). Commercial advertising in schools
. PCCA. Retrieved from http://www.commercialalert.org/isues/education/commercial-advertising-in-schools Viewed on 26/11/2013Rubin, R. (2009). The effects of cognitive development on children’s responses to television advertising.
Journal of Business Research, 2, 409–419.The American Dream. (2012). Advertising in schools may be less lucrative than thought.
The American Dream. Retrieved from http://www.newdream.org/resources /report-advertising-in-schools. Viewed on 26/11/2013
