Advertisers dream aloud of producing laser commercials in the sky. The acceleration of global environmental destruction as America's high-consumption lifestyle is beamed around the world into every village and hamlet. The decline of civic culture and social responsibility. At special risk are schools, museums, and the news media - institutions to which generations of citizens have looked for accurate and independent views of reality. The Captive Audience Cash-strapped schools are especially vulnerable to advertisers seeking to deliver captive audiences of young people to their clients.
Young people are more prone to impulse-buying, and they buy a lot.
And young people have many years ahead of them as ardent consumers. Wall posters with information on dental hygiene are sponsored by a leading soft drink manufacturer. Ads for 7-Up are found on school buses in Colorado Springs. In Black Mountain, NC, students are inundated with coupons and other enticements from McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Meanwhile, Star Broadcasting is providing schools with extra cash in return for filling the hallways and lunchrooms with commercial-laden rock music.