4 Strategies to Maximize Your Back To School Plan
By Liz Anklow, Executive Vice President at DKC, a lover of seltzer, dark chocolate and talking to strangers on trains.
According to the National Retail Federation, consumers will be spending upwards of 83.6 billion dollars on back-to-school shopping(including college) this year. A 2016 study by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited of 1,200 K-12 parents, estimated 33% begin back-to-school (BTS) shopping in late July, and another 34% begin in early August.
This major consumer event is prime-time for almost every product category. Here at DKC, we frequently time launches and major activations for clients such as Yoobi and Jet.com around BTS, and wanted to share four trends we’re seeing this year.
1) The Early Bird Gets the Worm
It’s never too early to think about BTS — each year I am amazed at how early I see marketing begin. So brands, listen up: start planning early in Q1 (yes, Q1) so you are ready to go out live in May/June.
Why plan year-round? Well, think of BTS as a communication touch point to grab consumers early and hold onto them through the holidays.
On personal note, my daughter wanted a plant magnet to make her locker her own, bringing a bit of namaste to her school day. We got to the store, July 25, and it was already sold out. So act early, remember if you come through for parents at BTS they will come back to you throughout the year for all their shopping needs.
2) Customization is King
Customize as much as you can. Every student wants to fit-in but they also want to be unique. Everyone wants their surroundings to be individualized, think, “You do you” on steroids.
Why does this help sell your brand? Customization gives you a new or personal story to tell. You can catch a reporter’s attention with great visuals of customized products. This gives the media a turn-key opportunity to tout your brand. While you are at it, shoot a video that can be embedded in the story so the media has 360º approach to tell your product’s BTS story. Yoobi makes it easy, many of their products are made in DIY fabrics, included with markers for easy customization. Done!
3) Be Trendy or Suffer the Consequences
Nothing looks worse for BTS than having last year’s pattered notebook. Traditionally, solid pink and blue ruled the day, but now its all about trendy prints, emoji’s and fashionable accessories. Yoobi’s fun and cooky product line stand out in print, online, or broadcast media. The more colorful and eye-catching, the better. The more on-trend the products are, the more successful your team will be and your results will skyrocket.
When pitching, don’t forget about presentation. Make your media mailers stand out! (Who is going open a brown padded envelope? Nobody.) A little bit of research into who you are pitching to, can go a long way. Does the reporter you’re pitching, have kids in college or grammar school? Make each package unique and tailored to the their personal style and outlet.
4) Give Back
The social good component of a brand drives sales and media attention. It’s an easy win for everyone. Jet.com has partnered with State Backpacks on their #GiveBackPack campaign, to provide backpacks to students in need. The hashtag campaign has already garnered thousands of posts in support on Instagram and Twitter.
Yoobi, which stands for “one for you, one for me”, has also taken the lead in giving back. To date, Yoobi has impacted over 2.4 million kids by donating 33 million school supplies to over 80,000 classrooms! For every item purchased by the general public, one is donated to a classroom in need. Generosity does not go unnoticed by consumers or the media, as Yoobi has been featured by major outlets such as Fast Company, Washington Post, and the Today Show.
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