Résumé
A SPONSORED Educational Material (SEM) is a document created by a company for schoolchildren, in the form of pamphlets, videotapes or CD-ROMs, which deals with subjects such as road safety,nutrition or environmental awareness. Although it raises many questions concerning the ambiguous nature of these materials, no study currently exists about the opportunities and dangers of such a tool. This article explores French educators’ use of and attitude towards SEM. From 20 individual interviews and the results from 150 questionnaires, the study reveals that in France, schoolteachers do use SEMs occasionally but take many precautions when using them.Now that distributors’ brand names and low price products are competing with famous brands, companies understand that they have to capitalise on their relationships with their clients (Moulins 1998). The establishment of a consumer–brand relationship is particularly valuable with children since most of the brands preferred by those aged between 7 and 18 continue to be preferred 20 years later (Guest 1955, cited by Olsen 1993). Moreover children are an interesting target as a threefold market: ascurrent consumers, influencers and future consumers (McNeal 1992). That is why marketers develop campaigns in order to reach children. One such enterprise is in-school marketing. In acknowledging that schools are in need of money and materials, some businesses offer them what they need in exchange for reaching the children in school via advertisements (bill posting, radio, TV, internet), sponsorships and partnerships or the distribution of SEMs. The potential contradiction of a technique such as SEM is that the aim of companies is at the same time:■ Social. It consists of inducing a change in children’s behaviour, attitudes or ideas (for example, trying to increase children’s concern about security and understanding about the danger of speed).■ Promotional. The brand name is present on the document, which is a great opportunity for the firm to benefit from the legitimacy of the school and to be able to reach all the children in one age group. Although many controversies have arisen in the press about the ambiguous status of these materials (Giroux 1998; MacAllister 1996; Richards 1998; Gray 1999; Wynns 1999) no study currently exists regarding the opportunities and dangers of such a tool. In the USA, an exploratory investigation revealed that most of the teachers surveyed used SEMs regularly and perceived them as well-designed, up to date and useful, and they did not perceive them as overly commercial (Mueller et al. 1999).However, the spreading of SEMs depends on the countries involved. In the USA, firms involved in education are numerous and SEMs reach millions of elementary and secondary students.Conversely, in-school marketing is more or less forbidden in most European countries(GMV 1998). Nevertheless, SEMs do exist there too: for example, in France the law has recently been relaxed in order to allow professors to use SEMs that are not considered ‘too commercial’.This article is organised into three parts. First, it is necessary to raise the question: What makes schools such a special place to reach children? Second, since the context of the spreading of SEMs seems important, the French context is explained. Third, the article will describe the results from a study involving interviews with 20 teachers and the analysis of 150 questionnaires. Since teachers are considered to play a pivotal role in mediating SEMs (Fuller 1995), this study aimed to assess if SEMs are distributed sufficiently in France in order to be able to study them – and to find out teachers’ attitudestowards SEMs.