Teaching Clearasil

I hate going to the doctor. A big reason I hate going to the doctor is because I feel like they are always pushing the latest samples of some drug they were given by a pharmaceutical rep. I used to hostess at a fancy French restaurant in Boston called Maison Robert (aka the House of Bob). We often had incredibly expensive dinners for scores of doctors and their wives. All they had to do to be wined and dined at one of Boston's finest restaurants was to watch a short slideshow on whatever the latest drug was.

When I read this article in AdAge.com (reg. required) about teachers giving out Clearasil samples to middle school students, I almost spit my coffee out. I harshed on P&G about this same tactic before with tampons. Of course the company behind it claims:

"The material is all educational in terms of proper skin care," a spokesman said. "It's obviously sponsored by Clearasil, but the actual purpose is to be educational."

If there is any place the Chinese wall should still exist, I believe it's in the classroom, especially when it comes to what is actually being taught. Sponsored content is not curriculum. What's next? Wining and dining teachers to get them to give out product samples? The sad part is that you wouldn't need to do this with teachers — just give them the funding/support they need to their jobs and they might shill for you.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.