Back-to-School Marketing

by Jen Pearsall

It’s that time of the year again – the back to school season. It’s an important season for retail marketers, whose sales during this time of the year are critical to making their yearly numbers. Many are waiting with bated breath to see if the economic woes recently faced will come to a close. Will spending finally return to normal levels as students head off to school this fall?
 
Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t looking up. Deloitte recently reported that almost a third of parents are planning to increase their school supply spending this year, and the International Association of Shopping Centres predicts that back to school sales in the United States will increase 5 percent this year (representing the largest increase since 2005). And the good news doesn’t end there – per the National Retail Federation, the average family will spend about $600 per child on back to school supplies and clothing, an increase of over $50 compared to last year.
 
So how are marketers planning to take advantage of this year’s predicted spending increases? It’s not with the usual newspaper ads and television spots. Instead, retail marketers are embracing social media and mobile marketing, hoping that both will help keep pocket books open and propel students (and their parents) into their stores.
 
One of my favorite social media and mobile campaigns this year is being done by JC Penney. In an attempt to better align itself as a store for fashion and not just deals, JC Penney recently unveiled videos of real teen girls discussing their back to school fashion finds. The campaign, called “New Look. New Year. Who Knew?” is pretty cool. Several young women (many of them influential within the social media community) were provided gift certificates to JC Penney; after buying their “haul” (haul being the term that JC Penney coined for their fashion purchases) they recorded their finds to share with online shoppers at jcp.com. Fans of the clothing retailer can also join the fashion conversation by uploading their own shopping videos on JC Penney’s Facebook page. And because more and more teens are using their mobile phones, the promotion includes a mobile site and allows teens to get text updates with the latest fashion finds and deals.
 
So what makes this social media and mobile campaign a success? What can you take away from JC Penney as you develop your own new media campaigns – whether for back to school or an upcoming tradeshow?
 
1)      JC Penney understands that social media isn’t about talking to an audience – it’s about having a conversation. Tweeting about deals and discounts or posting new merchandise on a Facebook wall are great, but the real way to take advantage of social media is by starting a conversation with your customers. Get them talking online – and they will likely start talking offline as well.
 
2)      The company knows its target – and its campaign speaks to them. As a marketer, you have to make sure your social media campaign resonates with your target audience. JC Penney focused its efforts on teen girl fashion – it didn’t dilute its campaign by trying to expand the promotion to other audiences. It is imperative to speak to your customers with a promotion and platform that is authentic and real, in a way that resonates with them.
 
3)      Have fun! Sometimes we get so focused on the strategy of a social media campaign, tracking our fan numbers, counting our interactions or measuring sentiments on Twitter, that we forget what social media is all about – creating a fun, interactive and engaging way for people to connect with our brands.
 
What are some other brands that are leveraging social media and mobile marketing to connect with consumers this back to school season? Email me at jpearsall@piercom.com, or start a conversation with me on Facebook or Twitter.