How Brands Can Ace Back-to-School Advertising with Ad Intelligence

As soon as school bells signal the start of summer vacation, brands and retailers begin their annual back-to-school shopping campaigns. This whirlwind period leaves a small window of opportunity for marketers to guide consumers down the purchase funnel. The challenge? Striking a balance between starting too early and risking customer alienation, or starting too late and missing out on the diminishing spending power.

The June 2023 issue of the ANA Magazine delved into this dilemma, with insights from industry experts. As one of those experts, DISQO’s Patrick Egan shared insights from our CX platform about U.S. adults who were planning to shop back-to-school sales (n=6,373). Read on to discover the lessons we learned, including optimal timing for back-to-school ads, which persuasive messages encourage shopping best, and the potential impact of inflation on consumer behavior.

Timing is everything

DISQO’s insights showed that the back-to-school advertising calendar frames a delicate dance. Over half of our respondents had negative feelings about seeing ads too early in the summer. But when those ads popped up later in the summer, the picture brightened considerably, with nearly a third saying their feelings would improve. 

How consumers feel about early summer ads

Source: DISQO CX Platform, May 13 - 14, 2023, n=6,373

How consumers feel about later summer ads

Source: DISQO CX Platform, May 13 - 14, 2023, n=6,373

Convenience is key, but price rules

We learned that while just over half of our respondents are motivated primarily by low prices, a sizable group – over two-thirds – are also persuaded by the promise of a convenient shopping experience. 

What most persuades consumers to purchase back-to-school supplies

Source: DISQO CX Platform, May 13 - 14, 2023, n=6,373

How much convenience persuades consumers to purchase back-to-school supplies

Source: DISQO CX Platform, May 13 - 14, 2023, n=6,373

A pinch on the pocketbook

With inflation, consumers across all income brackets plan to tighten their belts on school supplies this year. When we examined the total population of back-to-school shoppers, a mere 7% indicated they weren’t planning any changes to their spending habits in response to inflation.

How much inflation will impact consumer spending this school year

Source: DISQO CX Platform, May 13 - 14, 2023, n=6,373

More about DISQO Ad Testing

As these trends underscore, crafting an effective back-to-school campaign is not child's play. With DISQO Ad Testing, brands and retailers can now reduce campaign risks with reliable insights for every creative they put out. DISQO eliminates the common barriers that prevent testing all ads before flight: time and money. DISQO Ad Testing is the fasted and most efficient ad testing solution on the market today.

Find out how you can create tests in minutes, gain insights within an hour, and do it so cost-effectively that you can test every single ad. 
 Download our Product Card here.