Advertising In School Film Strips “Slight”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31071, 28 May 1966, Page 23

Advertising In School Film Strips “Slight”

The advertising content in ' some film strips and other' illustrated material supplied to schools through the Education Department was recently questioned by a teacher in Christchurch, but the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) i has answered that the educational value of the material. I supplied free by the sponsors,: far out-weighs the slight commericial influence of credit lines. The film strip in question covered the functions of the grocer and one frame had a picture of a store in a wellknown national chain and interior shots did not conceal brand names. Mr Kinsella said this wasi one of a series in social. studies designed for primary 1 schools where the syllabus' specified study of a wide range of occupations with emphasis on interdependence and mutual help. “It is considered that the Impact of any advertising content on young children would be very slight and not

likely to influence them toward one firm more than another,” he said. The Education Department considered it impractical to study occupations in a realistic way without somewhere showing names of! firms or products. If a class! visited shops or factories the teacher must make a selection among competing firms. The grocery material 2500 sets costing hundreds of pounds was supplied free by one chain in the interests of the trade as a whole. The! same was being done with j bakeries. Other topics suggested were the butcher, dairy farmer, engineer, and so on. All would meet the requirements of the Departi ment of Education. ' The National Film Library’, also used by schools, had I material prepared by oil com- ! panies. potteries, motor manuI facturers. and consumer i goods industries, all of which ! had credit lines at the beI ginning and end and trade | names only where they would I be seen normally.