Students don’t really mind corporate-sponsored poetry

“Advertising on video screens in high schools worries critics,” reads a current Globe and Mail headline, because that’s the kind of thing that critics worry about. The proposal request from the Toronto District School Board has been slinking around for a while — a mid-September committee meeting heard the usual arguments, although a couple of Harbord Collegiate students turned up to point out verbal announcements don’t always get the point across due to language barriers, and the medium would provide an opportunity to promote student sports, artwork, and poetry. They also didn’t care too much about whether these messages were sponsored by corporations: “We are kind of used to it being around us outside and everywhere. As soon as you step out of the school, ads are in the bus station,” said the two girls, finishing each other’s sentences. Don’t let your student councillors grow up to be school trustees! Chris Bolton, representing Ward 10, originally approached OneStop Media to come up with a scheme to keep those roaming the hallways in the loop, maybe even interspersed with MuchMusic-provided content. Dave Hynes, a consultant who maintains a blog about the digital signage industry, was dubious about the RFP looking for a no-cost solution where advertising wouldn’t be allowed — save for wholesome marketing boards or post-secondary institutions, who don’t seem to lack for money. Hynes figures that the scheme, which would place two of four screens in a staff room and an office, “a recipe for blowing money.” Future Shop, however, recently unveiled two $50,000 technology labs in local high schools on the condition that the spaces be painted in the retailer’s red and grey corporate colours. Would today’s media literate teens rather not know when they’re being sold to? OneStop, the apparent driver of this idea, have played this game before, though: their LCD screens throughout the subway system (pictured) are meant to be “revenue-neutral,” with information provided through CP24. Since ownership of the news outlet changed hands from CHUM to CTV, on-air promotions have been spotted in the news ticker — among other informational indiscretions.