As is the case here in CT, many states have tax-free weeks to encourage back-to-school shopping towards the end of August (17 states total – though many are cutting back on discounts being offered). As such, many advertisers and retailers have begun ramping up their back-to-school advertising campaigns.
According to eMarketer, US retail e-commerce sales in July and August will increase 15% over last year. This growth can be mostly attributed to overall growth in e-commerce. Marketers are fighting to get their piece of that pie. The back to school season represents 17.2% of full-year retail sales, so it’s critical for retailers to dedicate appropriate advertising budget to drive sales during this time period.
Marketing Land reports consumers will spend 42% of their budget on apparel, 26% on books and supplies, and 13% on consumer electronics. As reported by the New York Times, the National Retail Federation estimates families with children in kindergarten through high school will spend an overage of $674 on back-to-school shopping for a total industry-wide spend of $75.8 billion in the US. This is an 7% overall increase over last year. 51% of consumers plan to start shopping 3-4 weeks before school starts. 44% of consumers plan to shop at a discount store, 43% in a department store, and 38% plan to shop online.
Marketers will likely spend more than $241 million on back-to-school advertising. Many retailers opt for newspaper inserts to broadcast sales, though TV campaigns are widely popular, as well as digital and social campaign components.
Here’s a glimpse into some popular national retailers’ ad campaigns this year:
And just for fun, one of the most memorable back-to-school campaigns of all time:
If you have ads you’d like to place in newspapers or magazines this back-to-school season, contact us here at Mediabids at 860-379-9602. Happy shopping!
The Print Observer - Newspaper & Magazine Advertising Insights 