school-bus-advertising

Advertising on regular buses for movies and television shows has long been considered an effective and cost-efficient way to promote a product. It’s particularly effective, because it’s a grassroots way to reach audience all hours of the day, unlike a television spot or print ad. Hip-hop stars have also found effective ways to use vehicle wraps as promotional tools for their albums.

And now, even schools are considering bus advertising as a means to raise cash. With more people than ever spending countless hours on the road driving to work, picking up kids, and running errands, advertising on a school bus would be sure to reach a lot of viewers. School officials realize that school buses have prime advertising space, and are trying to utilize it to generate money.

Most States Prohibit Advertising On School Buses

School buses may be one of the most easily recognizable vehicles, with the loud yellow-orange color and black stripes. And there’s a reason why you very rarely, if ever, see a school bus with any sort of advertising on it, despite it being in driven into the heart of the community on a daily basis. Thirty-four states have banned any sort of advertising on school buses. The only states that allow advertising on buses are:

Arizona
Colorado
Texas
Tennessee
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Nevada
Utah
New Mexico

Texas is known for having the most relaxed laws regarding advertisements on school buses. And in Texas you can regularly see buses with ads for local businesses.

Schools Trying To Lift The Ban

In states like Florida, cash-strapped schools are trying to get lawmakers to lift the ban so that they can use the school buses for advertising as a means to raise funds. The audience is pretty much already built in. And for any type of ad targeted towards children or parents, school buses seem to provide an ample amount of targeted viewers.

However, opponents of advertising on school buses argue that advertisements might distract other drivers or display offensive materials, particularly ads for drugs or alcohol. However, people in support of advertising on school buses, argue that the ads would be small, and that buses are generally safer than most other types of vehicles. They also say that ultimately any generated revenue would benefit the students.

Bus Advertising May Be Last Resort

Interestingly enough, even the school officials who are trying to get the ban lifted, admit that it’s not an ideal solution. They are only requesting that the ban be lifted because they are desperate for funding after other sources have been slashed. Perhaps a limited amount of advertising would be the solution that is needed. Any money made off the selling of advertisement space would be used towards funds for the schools.

If these schools were allowed to sell advertisements on the buses, considering the reach these buses have, there would likely be a great many advertisers lining up to buy space. Advertising on buses has become a somewhat controversial issue, but is one that is sure to continue as long as schools are looking for ways to generate funds.

photo credit: loop_oh via photopin cc