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At Sea in a Marketing-Saturated World: The Eleventh Annual Report on Schoolhouse Commercialism Trends: 2007-2008

Three trends identified in the 2007 Report on Schoolhouse Commercialism continued to develop in 2008. Advertising is becoming ever more pervasive; the boundary between advertising and editorial content is becoming less distinct; and the relationship between marketers and consumers is becoming more interactive. Advertisers and marketers are pursuing divergent strategies, both hiding advertising inside ostensibly neutral editorial matter and directly enlisting consumers as agents and collaborators in the ongoing advertising process. This year’s report is based on a review of advertising and marketing publications as well as the popular press. It reviews general trends in marketing and advertising, and then explores more specifically how these trends are likely to affect children in schools. New this year is a discussion of schoolhouse commercialism trends in England and Ireland.