NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Back-to-school marketing has reached a fever pitch as summer comes to a close and students return to the classroom. While the season typically tasks brands to come forward with fresh energy to land the sale, this year’s tricky retail environment has seen marketers overindex on traditional value tropes to resonate with budget-conscious consumers whose economic expectations have reached their lowest point in five years. 

Many brands have also used the critical sales period to grow affinity with key younger demographics like Gen Z and Gen Alpha, namely through channels including social media. Below, Marketing Dive has assembled a handful of back-to-school campaigns that speak to the current moment and provide insight into how marketers are trying to break through to consumers.

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As always, thanks for reading.