Scholarships Called Investment in Future

Toshiba’s copier and fax division recently awarded $50,000 in scholarships to the top three winners of the America’s Junior Miss Pageant, a promotional deal that seems strange only in light of the reason Toshiba gave for doing so.

In a press release, the Irvine-based company said the scholarships are all part of Toshiba’s “push to target women decision makers who influence the purchases that make up a $21-billion U.S. copier and fax market.”

Huh? Perhaps it’s true that women often call the shots when it comes to buying copiers and faxes, but does Toshiba really think the Junior Miss Pageant is the best place to look for these decision makers?

Sure, said Holly Barnett, a Toshiba spokeswoman. “This is sort of making an investment in some of the people who are going to make those decisions in the future,” she said, adding that the Junior Miss Pageant “is not 100% beauty.”

Indeed, according to the contest guidelines, scholastic achievement accounts for 20% of the competition, almost as much as the 30% weight accorded to the categories of “presence and composure” and “fitness.”

Barnett also pointed out that past winners of the pageant have gone on to become veterinarians, lawyers and even computer scientists at IBM Corp. Of course, the pageant also helped launch the careers of Deborah Norville, former anchor of NBC’s “Today” show, and Mary Frann, formerly the TV wife of Bob Newhart.

Come to think of it, Frann’s character made all the decisions when it came to buying office equipment for that inn in Vermont.

*

Greg Miller covers high technology for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and atgreg.miller@latimes.com.