In a famous ruling on what was affectionately known as the McLibel trial - a long-running case in Britain in which McDonald's sued environmental activists - a McDonald's advertising strategy was condemned as one designed to "exploit children, by using them as more susceptible subjects for advertising . . ." Although there will forever be generations of children ripe for exploitation, the strategy doesn't end in childhood. "Brand loyalty", a preference for a particular brand of hamburger/running shoes/car/ political party, tends to last a lifetime.
A recent Irish marketing survey found that most people will choose a bank in their teens and stay with that bank throughout adult life. Capturing the consumer early is regarded as crucial.
Well, what better place to ply your wares than in school classrooms? We've long since had everything from schoolbags to pencil cases in designs inspired by movies, pop stars and cartoon figures. More recently marketing managers have seen a new niche, or should that be a need? Computers. Every school today needs a computer. Tesco, the British supermarket chain, recognised that need and the well known "collect tokens for your school" campaign ensued - buy £10 worth of shopping and you got a token. Enough tokens and the school could get a computer.
If Mary Jane brought in 10 tokens on Monday, how many did Sally Anne have to bring in on Wednesday? The answer is: more than Mary Jane. Even if there wasn't any competition between students, kids wanted to bring in at least one token. The ensuing Pester Power drove parents 'round the bend. What else? Teaching tools, of course, otherwise known as resource packs. These days packs covering everything from healthy eating to insects arrive on the desks of school principals and Transition Year co-ordinators virtually every day.
A few weeks ago, the VHI produced a pack on play. It included details of a survey on Irish children's health and a poster of play ideas. There were plenty of excellent suggestions for games to play at home and in school. The pack was also an excellent opportunity for the VHI to promote itself as an organisation among parents and teachers of primary-school children. This is typical of the packs doing the rounds - they're useful, fun and an ideal chance to raise and promote the profile of an organisation or product.
The biggest marketplace, when it comes to resource packs, is Transition Year. Since Transition Year became available all over the State, hundreds of packs arrive in the school post each year. As a period which is not bound by the tight curricular restraints of exams, Transition Year gives teachers the opportunity to devise courses which explore a range of areas. In this context good resource packs are an invaluable tool. The fact that teenagers are budding consumers and mapping their career futures to boot must help too.
Teachers covering the "mini-company" programme seem to get the most material. It comes in from, among others, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the Irish Banks Information Service and the TSB. Given our tendency to stick with the bank we start using in our teens, the TSB pack would seem like a particularly smart idea.
Arguably, The Irish Times Business 2000 pack goes quite some way to promoting The Irish Times and the businesses featured in it among teachers and students. Is Media Scope doing the same thing?
Packs come in from food companies promoting healthy eating, from embassies promoting particular countries and from political parties promoting themselves. They come in from the Health Promotion Unit and the Department of Education and Science too. And just about every charity organisation has its schools pack.
Earlier this year, the school board in San Francisco approved the Commercial Free Schools Act, which bars the district from adopting educational materials that contain brand names.
In Ireland, no such legislation applies. As it stands, anyone, anywhere, with an agenda of any kind, can put a pack together and either promote themselves, an issue, or both.
According to Moira Leydon, assistant general secretary with the ASTI, every large corporate body in the country has produced packs for schools. "It's a grey area, but in terms of education provision it can be very useful," she says. Gerry Jeffers is co-ordinator of the Transition Year Curriculum Support Service. "I wouldn't see much sinister in it as yet, but there is an issue around control and regulation. However, teachers exercise their professional judgement and make a sound evaluation of the merits, or otherwise, of each pack."
Interestingly, packs from charity organisations can be a problem. Mary McGlynn, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, explains: "You would get quite a lot from charities encouraging students to get involved in fundraising activities. Young people can feel a lot of empathy towards others who are suffering, but it becomes difficult, because you can't keep asking students to get involved in different fundraising events."
Teachers exercise their discretion, and should know how to identify and discuss any agenda behind a corporate/charity sponsored pack. But is a dependency on commercially motivated packs developing? And should the world of education be a marketing manager's dream come true?
Or should educational aids be at least sanctioned, if not produced entirely, by the Department of Education?
