More on Advertising and Education

In focusing on the topic of corporate infiltration of education, I can recall several instances in my own education where I have encountered corporate influence.  Although these examples of corporate penetration into education did not take the form of pro-business academic materials, as Bagdikian (2004) says is a prominent practice, they were misleading representations of a hidden agenda (p. 159).  Each example was at the time presented in a benevolent and optimistic fashion with mostly no criticism of any sort to be found to be directed towards each instance.  In hindsight, it is clear that these events disguised as educational, fun, and/or beneficial were clearly attempts to build brand awareness amongst young people and arbitrarily gain influence, an activity which, theoretically, should have no place in an environment of academics.

The first example of corporate infiltration that I have personally experienced in my education occurred in elementary school.  It can be considered a private appropriation of public space, which “refers to any allocation of public school facilities for corporations to display logos, advertisements, or products (Bettig & Hall, 2003, p.115).”  I remember all of the children’s ceaseless joy when we found that we were to head towards the multi-purpose room for a special event or presentation.  Many times these events would be presented by community theatre groups or a husband and wife team that played the keyboard and sang duets.  The purpose of these productions was to give the children a break from school work in the dullness of the classroom.  However, the motivations for the event in question were not so innocent.  Masked as a lesson on dental care, Crest sponsored an event in the multi-purpose room that consisted of plays acted out by large foam characters, one of which being a tooth, much like that of a sport team’s mascot.  This was obviously billed as a dental care promotion rather than an endorsement of a particular brand, being that of Crest.  Students were given toothpaste, a toothbrush, floss, and a packet of information, all carrying the Crest logo.  Unsuspecting students were led to believe that Crest was a source of authority on dental care and that dental care was their top priority.  However, the representatives at the event failed to mention that their parent company Proctor and Gamble owns several coffee manufacturers, one of which is Folgers.  Coffee being detrimental to dental care reveals the conflict of interest inherent in Crest’s acting as a dental authority.  And besides, if there weren’t consumer goods damaging teeth, there would be no money in the dental care business, thus revealing the real motivation of Crest and Proctor and Gamble.  This may seem somewhat tame, however, in comparison to the examples of soda companies fighting for exclusive rights to offer their brands and products on campuses across the country (Bettig & Hall, 2003, p.114).  These sugary products actively damage teeth, not to mention their influence on the acceleration of the obesity epidemic.  Food products do have a strong presence on school grounds.

The second example of corporate infiltration into education refers to how successful advertising efforts have become among high school students, for example.  A neighboring high school in my community was rumored to have signed a contract with Pizza Hut to offer Pizza Hut pizza exclusively in the cafeteria, a piece of news envied deeply by my classmates and myself.  This would make Pizza Hut’s products available five days of the week to hundreds of impressionable high school students, a reality that not only brings business to Pizza Hut, but builds intense brand awareness as well.  This is not at all uncommon, a fact revealed by a 2005 government survey that found that nine out of ten schools were serving junk food in numbers competing with nutritious meals (House, 2005).  This is yet another example of how the public’s protection is failing them in the name of profits brought about by advertising and brand building in schools.  Corporate meddling also negatively influences Universities.

While I attended Auburn University I came to realize along with many of my fellow classmates that Auburn’s future was being guided largely by the influence of one man, Bobby Lowder, the CEO of Colonial BancGroup.  Sitting on the Auburn University Board of Trustees for more than twenty years, Lowder has gained a lot of influence.  The most egregious example of this influence almost cost Auburn University its accreditation after he attempted to oust the football coach, Tommy Tuberville, which caught the attention of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  Although Auburn ultimately was able to keep its accreditation, SACS concluded that (2006), “the micromanagement by Lowder and the board of trustees,” were to blame for the probation that threatened Auburns accreditation (Fish).  Corporate influence can manifest itself in more than just brand building disguised as education, as this example makes clear.  The power held by those in high corporate positions allows them to arbitrarily rule a theoretically democratic institution, such as Auburn University.  As can be seen by Auburns probation and potential loss of its accreditation as well as the other corporate infiltrations into education mentioned, this type of institutional flaw that allows for great power to rest in the hands of a few can be devastating to democratic institutions.