The BadAds Weblog: January 2003

Give Us a Break!

Despite our best efforts to find relaxing and fun environments, we can't seem to escape the clutches of advertisers. Whenever they see us having a good time, they say, "Time to rack 'em up and hit 'em with our ads. Sure, we might scatter them a bit, but if we sink even one sale, it will all be worth it."

The latest environment to be spoiled with intrusive ads is the neighborhood pool hall, thanks to the efforts of New York's Encompass Outdoor Media, which sells ad space on the felt, on the sides of the table, and even on the pool balls themselves. As Encompass partner Michael Travin said in an article in Media Life, "The advantage of pool tables across the United States is getting into a lot of secondary markets where you can't find many opportunities to advertise. In Norman, Oklahoma, there are very few places to market, but we'll get you pool tables."

Encompass pitches pool table advertising on its Web site by claiming that it "allows for advertising in a clutter-free, relaxed environment," ignoring the fact that once you stick ads on the felt and the balls the environment will be neither clutter-free, nor relaxed.

In fact, Encompass' entire line of advertising venues (pizza boxes, coffee cups, billboards, the sides of trucks, popcorn bags) multiplies the marketing mishmash in our lives, despite its Orwellian claim that casino advertising, for example, is an "excellent opportunity to have your message break through the clutter."

Write to Encompass, as well as pool table advertiser DirtCheapCig.com, and tell them that they should scratch this form of intrusive advertising from their repertoire.

Adam Pierce
Encompass Outdoor Media
120 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor
New York , NY 10011
Phone: 212-993-9429
E-mail: adamp@encompassmediagroup.com

Fred Teutenberg, president
Dirt Cheap Cigarettes and Beer
895 Bolger Court
Fenton , MO 63026
Phone: 636-343-9770
Fax: 636-343-9768
E-mail: teutenfw@dirtcheapcig.com

January 31, 2003

California Schools Play "Let's Make a Deal"

California's 2003 budget deficit is huge – anywhere from $25-34 billion depending on whose numbers you trust – and to make up the shortfall the state must slash everything it can, including school budgets. The Belmont-Redwood Shores school district, for example, will lose $4 million of its $20 million annual budget under Governor Gray Davis' proposed spending plan.

Losing 20 percent of your funding is a huge blow, but some parents in the district have proposed a "novel" plan to close the gap: sell naming rights to the district's six elementary and middle schools. "We've got no choice but to be really creative to give our kids the same educational benefits that we've had,'' said Belmont parent Jeff Adams, who co-sponsored the proposal. "I grew up and my parents grew up in school districts that were totally funded by state taxes or local property taxes and things like that. That just isn't the way it is anymore.'' (All quotes come from an article in the San Jose Mercury News.)

While some schools have sold naming rights to pieces of their property – such as New Jersey's Brooklawn School District, which took $100,000 from ShopRite in exchange for placing the supermarket's name on the new gymnasium – this would be the first time an entire school would be named after a corporation.

District officials doubt the school board will approve of full naming rights, but they think the board will allow corporations to sponsor particular schools programs or buildings, something Superintendent Anne E. Campbell seems all in favor of: "As corporations start to become more involved, I would hope that they would become very powerful allies and become advocates of public education. I think that schools are going to have to figure out how to provide services to kids with very limited public resources. I think they are going to get creative."

Even if all these "creative" activities succeed, the district will raise no more than $1 million, far short of what it needs to meet its budget. What's worse, the district will have set a precedent implying that schools should rely on the largesse of private corporations instead of public funding from the parents whose children they educate.

Superintendent Campbell is deluding herself if she thinks corporations have any interest in schools other than promoting their products, building a good image, and training future consumers. Children have no choice but to attend school, which means this time should be devoted solely to education and not tainted by commercial influences in any way. Campbell seems to have cast aside this ideal in her effort to raise funds.

Anne E. Campbell, superintendent
Belmont-Redwood Shores school district
2960 Hallmark Dr ive
Belmont, California 94002-2943
Phone: 650-637-4800
Fax: 650-637-4811
E-mail: acamp@belmont.k12.ca.us

January 26, 2003

Pepsi Shuts the Tap on Next Generation

In their quest to replace pulled federal and state funds, many school districts have signed exclusive "pouring rights" contracts with soda companies, primarily Coca-Cola or PepsiCo, over the past decade. In addition to commercializing our schools, these contracts typically include minimal sales goals, which has the effect of turning school officials into de facto soda salesmen.

As if that weren't bad enough, soda companies aren't shy about demanding that schools keep competitors at bay. In November 2002, for example, Pepsi refused to allow Andrea Boyes, a student at Oregon's West Salem High School, to sell bottled water labeled with the school logo because such sales would violate its ten-year, $5 million exclusive contract. Boyes, who hoped to raise funds for her cheerleading squad, would have netted 55 cents of each $1 bottle of "Titans" water sold.

An article in The Seattle Times reported that the school district's purchasing director was trying to work out a deal with Pepsi in which the cheerleaders would sell Aquafina (Pepsi's branded water) and keep the school's profit for themselves – but this "deal" fails to address the main problem: Schools should not have to prostitute themselves, and their students, to raise needed fun ds.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest in the nation, and several other school districts have decided to ban sales of soft drinks on campus, thereby removing a heavy source of unneeded advertising in schools. (The districts have largely acted out of concern over high obesity and type-2 diabetes rates in teens, but any lessening of commercial influence over kids will likewise benefit their mental health.)

Do you feel Pepsi stepped out of line? Should the school district return the funds and give soda the sack? If so, let them know:

Steven S. Reinemund, Chairman & CEO
PepsiCo, Inc.
700 Anderson Hill Rd.
Purchase, NY 10577-1444
Phone: 914-253-2000
E-mail: steve.reinemund@pepsi.com

Ed John, Principal
West Salem High School
Salem, Oregon 97304
Phone: 503-399-5533
E-mail: john_ed@salkeiz.k12.or.us

January 24, 2003

Old Navy Redefines Charity

Correct us if we're wrong, but doesn't charity imply the giving of funds or services while expecting nothing in return other than good feelings and boosted karma?

Some companies seem to work from a different dictionary than ours. In December 2002, Old Navy convinced New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to allow the clothing company to outfit 400 cabs with logo-laden fleece seat covers – the largest inside-the-taxi advertising campaign ever permitted. For each ride taken in a fleece taxi during the two-week promotion, Old Navy would make a donation to New York Cares to "purchase new warm clothing and other basics for families in need" up to a maximum of $100,000, according to a press release on Yahoo!

"We salute Old Navy for their generosity to our community, their creativity in providing fleece-lined seats for New York riders, and their role in increasing the opportunities for taxi advertising," said Andrew Murstein, president of Medallion Financial Corporation, one division of which – Medallion Taxi Media – is the world's largest taxi advertising company with exclusive rights on more than 17,000 taxis worldwide.

Yes, it was quite a generous offer – by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. For far less than the cost of a television ad campaign, and by forgoing the more logical process of donating merchandise directly to New York Cares, Old Navy spent no more than $100,000 and the cost of 400 seat covers to promote their wares in one of the world's largest cities for the two weeks prior to Christmas. Thank goodness not all companies are this "generous."

Think Old Navy needs to relearn the meaning of charity? Then send them an educational message!

Donald G. Fisher, Chairman
Gap, Inc./Old Navy
2 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 800-427-6397
Online feedback form

January 13, 2003

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