Inside Insights | August

Back-To-School

Top brands tend to be very successful at cashing in on a particular audience's need as their target audiences hit their respective fear or greed buttons. Well, speaking to the 'fear' end of the two purchasing drivers, what better audience is there for brands to capitalize on right now than our beloved back-to-school moms? Did you know that mothers account for over $2 trillion in spending power according to Nielsen?

As you all have experienced, whether as a mother, father, son or daughter, there is arguably no greater time of fear than the preparations implicated by back-to-school shopping — a time that translates into vast dollar signs for major retailers whose product lines serve this school-going target. We know that the list of impending purchases, from (insert the Disney character of the moment) backpacks to haircuts, to tennis shoes and spiral notebooks in every color, can get more than overwhelming.

So, for you anxious parents and in particular mothers out there who could use a good day's laugh, here's a funny list of Back-to-School ads proving that if anyone can make light of a stressful time, it's those same brands that could be cashing in. Happy School Shopping!

Back to School Ads

[FYI: According to MediaPost, "a new study of how parents are tackling this year's back-to-school shopping finds that TV is the most effective way to reach them." So it's no surprise that there was no shortage of BTS TV commercials to choose from in putting this list together!]