Ad-ucation: The Untapped Commercial Potential of the Classroom

Think you've seen ads everywhere you can see ads? Well, you haven't--unless you're a student of Mr. Harrison at Pocatello High School in Pocatello, Idaho. Students sitting down for a test in Mr. Harrison's class were treated to an ad for a local pizza joint. What better place is there to celebrate after acing it, right?

To be fair, it's not like the teacher sold ads on the test, per se. He just got free paper from the restaurant to use in class, and that paper just happened to have ads on it. With the high costs of classroom materials, how can you blame him for being frugal?

So what other potential ad space in our schools is going unused?

Report cards. Ads here can be targeted depending on the grade, just like Google ads does on your gmail. Straight A students might see ads for top colleges, jewelry, and maybe even cars. Students with less than stellar grades might be treated to ads for tutoring services or family counseling. Those with really low grades might see ads for movie tickets, theme parks, and video games; hey, it's not like they're using their time for studying anyway.

School assembly. You know how when you go see a movie in the theater, you have to watch commercials before it starts? There's no reason you shouldn't see the same kind of big-screen ads at the beginning (and possibly the middle and end) of pep rallies and other mass gatherings. With a room full of eager consumers already flipping out over the upcoming game, what advertiser wouldn't pay top dollar for that kind of exposure?

The school building itself. Corporations have been naming stadiums and arenas for years now, from Staples Center in Los Angeles to the Fleet Center in Boston. Why should your school just be named after your home town or local statesman when you could be attending "Procter & Gamble High School" or "Exxon Institute for Middle School Education?" Best of all, no corporation is going to want its name on a school with shabby facilities or a losing sports teams, so just think about all the sponsorship money that might come your way.

If you have other ideas, feel free to share them in the comments. But please, no ads.