Pumpkin spice up your brand: Back to School

Here at ROI Media Works, we not only work in marketing, we love it too. That’s why we’re going to bring you a list of the best seasonal marketing campaigns we’ve seen every month. In this edition of Pumpkin Spice Up Your Brand, we’re going to take you back to school with Back to School Seasonal Marketing Campaigns

Well, today’s the day. Much to the chagrin of kids everywhere, summer is over and school is back in session. Many parents, on the other hand, are thrilled. For example, this one.

For marketers, this should be a mimosa-inducing moment as well. As we wrote a couple weeks ago, seasonal marketing campaigns can be an incredibly valuable tool in your content arsenal. Marketers have taken note. As if an alarm was set on their phones or perhaps even a biological clock sounded, seasonal marketing campaigns have been ramped up over the past few months to push Back to School.

One great example came courtesy of Best Buy. The electronics retailer worked in a little twist to their Back to School seasonal marketing campaign:

If you recall back to our intro to seasonal marketing campaigns, seasonal milestones are perfect times to make an emotional connection with your customer base. This was not lost on Best Buy, nor clothing retailer, GAP. Drawing inspiration from a Philadelphia teacher, GAP works to pair their new clothing line alongside confidence.

It’s easy to see how both these ads work on the emotional level. But, there are key takeaways for building seasonal marketing campaigns that extend beyond this.

The first is that you’re going to have to time it right. If you operate in a space that specializes in products that are perfect for back to school, your seasonal marketing campaign should cater to both the early bird and the last-minute shopper. Try and craft a campaign that can run all summer.

Some marketers have to enter the Back to School space through a different avenue, though. Faced with competition from the big Back to School guns of clothing and electronics retailers, they have to put together a seasonal marketing campaign that encourages collaboration rather than awareness. One such example of this is American pizza chain, Sbarro.

Back to School shouldn’t be reserved for nostalgic kids and ecstatic moms. It’s a time for marketers to proudly state what they have to offer.

Inspired by what you read and want to create a seasonal marketing campaign for yourself? We can help! Drop us a line at hello@roimediaworks.com.