Back to School Media Planning for 2025
- Exverus Staff
- Aug 8
- 6 min read
It's not all backpacks and pencils; any CPG brand can get in on the spending frenzy.
It's almost time for the kids to head BTS (back to school)! *Hold for applause*
Beyond being the "most wonderful time of the year" for parents, it presents an incredible opportunity for a midyear revenue bump for brands.
But 2025 is a year of economic uncertainty (to put it mildly), so shoppers are being extra careful with every dollar they spend.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) projects that families with students in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $858.07 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, down from $874.68 in 2024.
Back to school consumer trends in 2025
Historically, most BTS shopping took place in brick-and-mortar stores. But in 2025, click-and-mortar shopping is the preferred modus operandi. This could look a few different ways:
Buy Online and Pick Up In Store (BOPIS)
Click and Collect, or buying online and returning in-store (BORIS)
Or discover brands in one digital channel and purchase in another
This can make media planning and measurement tricky!
So, how do you ensure your campaign converts? Let's answer some:
Frequently asked questions about back to school media planning:
When should we start running back-to-school campaigns?
Should we target parents or kids?
How should we allocate budget between media channels?
How do we compete with Amazon's dominance in the BTS space?
What's the ROI difference between creator partnerships vs. paid ads?
How do we track the impact of upper-funnel awareness on lower-funnel conversions?
When should we start running back-to-school campaigns?
Start in early summer and keep going. The back-to-school season is a quick flash in the pan. Many consumers decide on purchases weeks before school actually starts, so don't wait too long to launch your campaigns.
According to the NRF, 67% of back-to-school shoppers had already begun purchasing items for the upcoming school year as of early July to get in on Prime Day, Target Circle Week, and other sales.
But don't cut it short, either! Different states start school in different months. And some families wait to get teacher supply lists or class schedules to buy supplies, so last-minute deals are a key component of the season. Stay active through September!
Should we target parents or kids separately?
Consider parents' challenges and concerns when sending their kids back to school. After all, kids aren't the only ones with new schedules in the fall! Parents and caregivers adjust their weekday routines, too, so your messaging should reflect this. New solutions to save time or energy will surely be appreciated!
For food and beverage brands, parents need on-the-go convenience for rushed breakfasts, packable lunches, dinner between practices, and car snacks. Brands that offer prepared or pre-cooked meals, ingredients that speed up or simplify the feeding process can capitalize on parents' needs through their messaging.
Over half of millennial parents say their kids influence their back-to-school purchases (relatable content right there). While much of your content should center on explaining to parents why your product should be their go-to, don't forget about co-viewing media opportunities like Connected TV and YouTube, so the kids know it, too.
A mix of channels that speak to both parents and children will go a long way toward your success.
How should we allocate budget between media platforms?
This, of course, will depend greatly upon your unique audience, product, budget, and goals. But there are a few main ways to frame your media strategy:
Product-focused approach
Naturally, CPG brands will want to focus their marketing budgets on retail media networks like Amazon, Walmart, and Target with sponsored search marketing. Adding back-to-school-related keywords to your search mix can boost visibility and drive sales.
For example, a granola bar company could add long-tail keywords like "granola bars for school lunches", or "healthy after-school snacks" to their current bidding strategy.
Content-focused approach
In 2025, shoppers predominantly discover brands on social media and learn about trends from social influencers.
Deloitte’s back-to-school survey showed that 75% of Gen-Z parents and 46% of millennial parents plan to use social media in their shopping journey.
JanSport backpacks’ “Always With You” campaign used absurdity and humor in its TikTok and YouTube ad spots to appeal to Gen Z shoppers. This strategy hooks viewers with entertainment and then talks about the product, as opposed to centering product features like the search strategies above.
Repurpose content across channels
At Exverus by Brainlabs, we recently developed a new ad format called Social Reach in partnership with SeenThis. Social Reach takes brands’ existing mobile video creative assets and splashes them across Pubmatic’s premium supply of Display slots on the open web, maximizing their reach with no extra production. Premier Protein was the first-to-market brand, and their Social Reach campaign outperformed Meta Ads by 50% in the same period!
Build paths to purchase
On TikTok and Instagram, serve up the kind of user-generated content (UGC) or influencer content your target audience enjoys to create awareness, then nurture consideration and urgency with interactive countdowns and tappable links, then drive traffic from discovery to your product pages with excellent deals awaiting.
How do we compete with Amazon's dominance in the back-to-school space?
Though everyone is trying to save money amid inflation, offering discounts alone won't set your brand apart. The strong sales reports coming out of this year's Prime Day indicate that people are willing to spend right now!
What keeps you top-of-mind in a sea of sameness is your brand equity, and it must be nurtured year-round to show up when it counts.
Emphasize a specific brand value that's important to your ideal buyers. For example, clothing brands could highlight their commitment to “sustainable fashion” or “eco-friendly” materials.
A food brand could boast "allergy-free" or "nontoxic", something important for most children. Highlight something unique your competitors don't have.
And get into the wild west of generative AI product recommendations while it’s still fully organic!
Adobe reported in February 2025 that 47% of US consumers use genAI to receive product recommendations, and 43% use it to seek deals.
What's the ROAS difference between creator partnerships vs. paid ads?
In the US alone, EMARKETER forecasts influencer marketing to grow 14.2% in 2025 to $9.29 billion—not including paid media amplification or spend outside social media. We all see this trend in our feeds every day!
In terms of ROAS, Influencer Marketing Hub reports brands seeing an average return of $5.78 for every $1 spent on influencer media campaigns, as opposed to $2-4 for the average social media advertising campaign.
Consumers place deep trust in the creators and influencers they relate to, and that trust translates to big bucks. Learn more about how to find the right influencers to partner with here.
How do we track the impact of upper-funnel awareness on lower-funnel conversions?
You can do this a few different ways, depending on your campaign objectives, budget, and KPIs:
A. Utilize attribution models
Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA). MTA models give credit to all touchpoints in the customer journey, allowing you to understand how upper funnel activities contribute to conversions.
Media Mix Modeling (MMM). MMM analyzes the overall impact of different marketing channels on sales, helping you understand the contribution of upper funnel efforts.
We’ve got the breakdown on how to determine whether MMM or MTA is right for your media campaign analysis!
B. Implement testing
Geo-Testing. Run campaigns in specific geographic areas to isolate the impact of upper funnel activities on sales and conversions.
A/B Testing. Test different ad creatives, targeting strategies, and other variables to optimize your upper funnel campaigns.
Analyze Data from Multiple Sources. Integrate data from various platforms (Google Analytics, social media analytics, advertising platforms) to get a holistic view of your marketing performance.
C. Zoom out to the entire customer journey
Long-Term Perspective. Recognize that upper funnel marketing often has a delayed impact on conversions, and avoid focusing solely on immediate results. Avoid the trap of short-termism!
Build Relationships. Emphasize building brand loyalty and fostering long-term relationships with customers, not just focusing on individual sales.
2025 may be halfway over, but the school year’s just beginning, and we’ve still got a lot to learn for next year. Dig deep into your particular audience’s content & consumption habits, and build a custom-tailored media plan that makes your brand stand out from the crowd (in a good way).
This article originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For the most up-to-date news and tips to improve your media strategy, subscribe for free here.
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