Promo - August 2008 - (Page 24)

College Marketing Pentel is distributing 60,000 to 100,000 samples of its Hyper G pen as part of a larger college marketing program. The company is using the freebie to pitch a contest promoting the pen’s attributes. Continued from page 23 at $2,623, according to the survey. The average student graduates with close to $4,000 in credit card debt. It’s a problem individual states are already tackling. In Maryland, a new law is set to take effect Oct. 1 that requires higher education institutions to develop practices regarding credit card marketing and the use of free gifts on campus. Maryland Delegate Susan Krebs, R-Carroll County, an original supporter of enacting a law to block the use of gifts in credit card marketing on campuses and the sale of student information to companies, says the effort is a good compromise. “We ended up turning it back over to the colleges and universities,” Krebs says. “If they allow it, they will have to have some educational brochures there so people are not just signing up to get the free T-shirt or coupon. We need to be smart about this.” A Tennessee law that took effect last month prohibits credit card issuers from recruiting students on campus BACK-TO-COLLEGE SPENDING 2008 Electronics $11.05 billion Clothing $7.01 billion Dorm/apartment furnishings $4.74 billion School supplies $3.57 billion Shoes $3.05 billion Collegiate gear $1.84 billion Source: BIGresearch for NRF through university facilities or student organizations. The one exception: days when there are athletic events. Credit card marketers are also banned from offering gifts or incentives to students on campus to entice card applications. The Ohio Attorney General’s office went a step further. It filed two lawsuits last fall—one against Citibank, marketing firm Elite Marketing and Potbelly Sandwich Works, and the other against eateryLaBambaandCampusDimensions Inc.—for “unfair and deceptive” marketing practices. In both instances, students visited local restaurants for free food, only to find out they had to apply for a credit card to receive it. The AG’s office settled with Potbelly in April. Under the agreement, the chain distributed free sandwich coupons as an incentive to get students to watch “Maxed Out,” a documentary that shows how the financial industry really works. The remaining cases are pending. Ohio’s lawsuits are making other states take notice, says Nadine Ballard, section chief of consumer protection for the Ohio Attorney General’s office. “Soliciting college kids for credit cards is huge,” she says. “It is definitely an issue that is of importance to other states. They are watching our P case [closely].” l 24 August 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - August 2008

Promo - August 2008 Contents Editor's Note Turf War Have You Seen Us? Film Fest Print on the Run Always Ready, Always There The Personal Touch Commentary College Bound Shakin' It Up Q&A: The Summer of Slurpee ¡Conectado! Resource Center The Agency Center Customer Care Index of Advertisers

Promo - August 2008

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