School Interested in Advertisement Revenue

In the state of New Jersey, it should not come as a surprise to the students or their parents when they start to see a whole lot more advertisements showing up on the fields for sports activities and inside of the school cafeterias for this upcoming school year. The trend of allowing advertisement within schools and on school property has increased in the state of New Jersey and more school districts are going along with the idea of selling advertisement space in exchange for the revenue they will be able to earn. According to the spokesman for the New Jersey School Board Association, Frank Belluscio, this is something that is going to become a common sight.

At this point in time, the state is dealing with limits when it comes down to state assistance and aid. With such restrictions, the school districts are desperately in need of other revenue sources, especially because if they are unable to find other sources of revenue, more cuts are going to have to be made. The Superintendent for Pemberton Township, Michael Gorman, has made it clear that school officials are currently working on setting up a policy that will get the ball rolling for the district so that it will be able to start soliciting advertiser and earn the desirable amount of advertisement revenue. Gorman has said, “But it must be constructed in a manner that is consistent with the community.” He also said, “There are certain advertisements that are appropriate for school buildings and there are ones that do not belong in a school setting.”

Many consumer advocates believe that advertisers can gain a lot of business by having advertisements for their products and brands displayed in front of children, especially because it is the best way to get children to become customers of certain products for the rest of their lives. Once they see a certain product, give it a try and actually like it, the chances of them using it on a consistent basis are much higher. A spokeswoman for the Public Citizens Commercial Alert, Elizabeth Ben-Ishai, says, “Children are especially vulnerable to persuasive advertising while they are still learning how to think critically.” It is believed that the advertisements will have an effect on children but will not prevent them from learning, which is definitely a win-win situation for both advertisers and the school districts.

In the meantime, the superintendent for the Glassboro School District, Mark Silverstein, is looking to rely on mobile forms of advertising for the Glassboro School District. Silverstein believes that advertisements on the school buses are the best way to go. He says, “Such advertising would offset fuel costs and bolster programs.”