A Pocatello, Idaho teacher is trying to do his part to fill his school's budget gap by offering advertising on exams. On a recent history exam, at the bottom of each page in 1" red letters was: MOLTO'S PIZZA 14" 1 TOPPING JUST $5. The principal wasn't thrilled, but Jeb Harrison convinced him that it helped to illuminate topics such as the Great Depression.
Molto provided 10,000 sheets of paper, valued at $315 for Harrison's five classes, with their ad on each page. I would suspect the $315 was more than offset by the PR storm the school had to handle.
I won't get into the merits (or demerits) of advertising and branding in schools. But you have to hand it to Molto Caldoro Pizzeria. They:
- Understand their target market (teenagers)
- Understand the importance of being first in a new channel (at the bottom of exams)
- Understand the value and receptiveness of cash strapped intermediaries (school districts facing budget cuts)
As an instructor at a local university, and as a parent of a high school student, I don't want ads on the bottom of tests. But we marketers should all take a lesson from Molto and look for innovative ways to engage our customers.
1 comment:
Brilliant! Know the market and audience, find ways to reach them and in this case, seek appropriate and positive PR. Perhaps the students will see the test again when it is returned after grading. A follow-up review of response would be interesting, especially if there is a connection between scores and response levels.
Thank you for sharing the idea.
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