Sep 26, 2016 3 min read

Think about how many non-football fans tune in to a certain unnamable contest played each February mainly to watch the commercials.

You don’t have to watch the series run of “Mad Men” to know that advertising shapes American society and is a primary driver of our economy.

Certainly, the entertainment factor is a big draw for watching corporations hawk their wares during the “big game.” We like to see, and subsequently discuss, the latest gimmicks to sell bad beer, unhealthy food and whatever cellphone company the “Can you hear me now?” guy is affiliated with these days.

But we expect to see commercials during anything that airs on, well, commercial television. We expect to hear them on the radio, and to see them in magazines, on billboards, all over sports stadiums and arenas, and every time we open the mailbox.

Oh, and in newspapers.

These days, though, advertisements are cropping up in places that never would have occurred to Don Draper and company, even if they really existed. A few of the more interesting locations are airline tray tables, the shells of eggs, floors of swimming pools and bathroom stalls, and the clothing covering women’s backsides.

Then there’s the Internet, on which just about every website has some sort of advertising. And that includes the official sites of cash-strapped school districts.

As The Almanac detailed in the recent “Balancing Act” series, matching revenues with expenditures is becoming increasingly difficult, so districts constantly seek innovative ways to raise money.

South Fayette is one district that is considering placing advertisements on its website through EDGEclick Advertising, a company that offers a network limited to Pennsylvania schools. As such, the material that would appear on the site would be monitored for appropriateness.

Still, the concept does raise a few eyebrows, such as those of board member Jennifer Iriti. During a recent meeting, she questioned the need to “seek ads on our website in order to fund our schools,” as opposed to adequate money coming from the state.

She makes a good point. South Fayette’s parents and students should be able to visit the district’s website strictly for information that is relevant to their school experience.

But every dollar earned means one less dollar the taxpayer has to cough up, and that’s the proverbial bottom line.

Let’s just hope that students never have to open their textbooks to find a full-page ad for video games inside.

Oops. Just joking, Mr. Draper.