So, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, Betty McCollum, wants to bar the military from sponsoring NASCAR teams. She says that the military (and taxpayers) are wasting their money sponsoring these teams when the money could be used elsewhere.
On the face of it, I can understand where she's coming from. I remember the hue and cry when banks receiving federal bailout money were thinking about continuing their sponsorship of golf tournaments. At the core of this issue is whether advertising and sponsorship is an efficient use of money. No one complains when money is used for utility payments or rent. In fact, while I was at business school, third-year business majors questioned the effectiveness of advertising.
Apparently, marketers and advertisers aren't selling themselves well enough. There's a pretty clear connection between advertising and market share, and the makers of the energy drink AMP can tell you how their sales went up after their association with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. I have to think that if the military thought they weren't getting their money's worth, they would opt out of their contracts, right?
Besides, if she wants to really save money, how about cutting the subsidy for public broadcasting?
No comments:
Post a Comment