Schools

Consultant to Seek Advertising at 2 Schools

The Hatboro-Horsham School Board approved hiring two firms to market Hatboro-Horsham High School and Simmons Elementary School and leverage advertising opportunities.

Hatboro-Horsham School District has hired two firms to help mine advertising and corporate sponsorship opportunities at two district schools. 

The board on Monday night verbally agreed to hire Advantage 3 to focus its efforts solely on Hatboro-Horsham High School, the stadium and its grounds; and Minnesota-based company School Media to zero in on Simmons Elementary School. 

Advertising/sponsorships at the high school

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The decision followed Bryan McGair of Advantage 3's presentation last month the school board. McGair had said that his 2-year-old company has helped 42 New Jersey and Pennsylvania school districts reap profits through advertising revenue, sponsorships and naming rights.

The district would pay Advantage 3 a "one-time" fee of $7,500 to cover the cost of producing a marketing portfolio. Then, for each ad, sponsorship, or naming rights deal made, the district would receive a 75 percent cut, while Advantage 3 would net the remaining 25 percent.

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Bob Reichert, the district's director of business affairs, said the district would "get back in full" its $7,500 payment as advertising campaigns are put into place.

Reichert said it would be a good idea to "test drive their services over the next two to three years."

Advertising at Simmons

At Simmons, School Media would work to generate advertising revenues through the promotion of "healthy, educational and nutritional messages to students, administrators and communities," according to its Web site

Removable stickers are placed on lockers, doors and walls and are changed periodically, Reichert said.

"None of it’s in the classrooms," he said. "We would review everything."

Reichert pointed out that the board was not approving any type of advertising on Monday. Instead, the board agreed to allow the firms the opportunity to begin soliciting advertising.

As advertising and sponsorship opportunities are identified, the board would consider each and would have the right to refuse any deemed unacceptable, he said.

"There’s really not a lot of downside for either," Reichert said. 


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