The following articleappeared in The Yellow Press, an entirely student-run newspaperpublished by Yellow Enterprises, Inc., a student-founded corporation, anddistributed at five Madison, Wis., high schools. It
By Benjamin Wikler and RebeccaDilley
The Yellow Press
In response to flagging sales to adults,Phillip Morris (an international tobacco conglomerate) signed a contract withthe Madison Metropolitan School District (Madison, Wis.) giving it an exclusivemonopoly to market its products to its core audience: high school students.
The contract spans three years andpromises the district up to 1.5 million dollars from sales commissions. Schoolboard members have hailed the deal as an ideal "quick fix" solutionto its financial ills. "Kids love their cigarettes," said school boardmember Juan Lopez, "and we love our money. Revenues from this deal will goto lowering property taxes and raising the salaries of administrators —especially Cheryl Wilhoyte’s. I do whatever she tells me to, you see."
Representatives of the PhillipMorris corporation are similarly enthusiastic. "This," explained JohnGray, a Phillip Morris public relations employee, "is a win-win dream cometrue! As a corporation, we have long faced two problems in Madison. For onething, Madison’s high corporate property taxes have long cut into our profitmargins. Secondly, the community used to always refuse to let us market tostudents — something about health concerns, I think. But now, Tommy Thompson isfinally enacting the budget-cutting legislation that we lobbied so hard for.That means we get not only lower property taxes, but the schools are so brokethat they’re offering their students to us on a platter — they’re begging us tomarket to the kids!"
"Of course," pointed outMr. Gray, "no students under the age of 18 will be permitted or encouragedto buy cigarettes."
As well as monopoly rights, thedeal includes a number of provisions regarding direct marketing to students.Effective immediately, banners reading "The Marlboro Man welcomes you toWest High School" and the like will be hung above the entrance to allMadison schools. Cigarette vending machines will be placed in bathrooms andother "out-of-the-way, difficult-to-monitor places" around schools toinsure that "under-age kids don’t find and buy the cigarettes."
Finally, an inspirational speakerdressed as the Marlboro Man will give presentations at area schools emphasizingself esteem, resisting peer pressure about drugs, and how smoking cigarettescan make students "cool."
One teacher pointed out anunexpected benefit of the deal. "Perhaps," he said, "some of themoney will be used for the clearing out of the asbestos insulation that hasbeen deferred for so long. Asbestos in our ceiling, in this day and age? Heck,that stuff can give you lung cancer!"
You can reach Ben Wikler and theYellow Press in the following ways:
Ben Wikler, 2440 Commonwealth Ave., Madison, WI53711; ph: 608-231-3989; fax: 608-231-0646 bmwikler@students.wisc.edu
The Yellow Press, PO Box 5083, Madison, WI 53705.