FAQ ON BACK-TO-SCHOOL MARKETING: SPENDING, TIMING, AND THE EARLIER-EVERY-YEAR SEASON

26. 6. 2026 | 4 min read The back-to-school season is gaining momentum for retailers in 2026. It’s worth $85.42 billion in US retail sales, according to EMARKETER. And the season keeps starting earlier as price-conscious families spread purchases out across the summer. This FAQ covers the season's timeframe, top categories, and channel preferences, and how marketers should position campaigns in 2026. How big is back-to-school spending? Expected to hit $85.42 billion in US retail sales this year, back-to-school is accelerating 3.3% year-over-year, up from 2.5% annual growth in 2025, per EMARKETER. A full $53.06 billion will come from physical retail sales. Another $32.36 billion is expected from back-to-school season retail ecommerce sales. A big driver behind the season is college-bound students, whose families will spend $36.16 billion, up 3.9% YoY. Families with students in grades K-12 will spend $49.26 billion this back-to-school season, up a more modest 2.8% from 2025. College-bound students represent a 42.3% share of back-to-school retail sales, up from 39.9% in 2022. The season has expanded from backpacks, school supplies, and new outfits to include big-ticket electronics, dorm furniture, and other accessories for college life. When does back-to-school shopping actually start? The season begins earlier than most marketing calendars assume. Two-thirds (67%) of back-to-school shoppers had already begun purchasing by early July, per the NRF. Price anxiety drives the early start: 51% of back-to-school families said they were shopping earlier due to concerns about tariff-related price increases, per the same survey. The season now effectively opens in June, overlapping with mid-summer deal events like Prime Day, and stretches through September as college move-in dates arrive. For marketers, a campaign that launches in August reaches a market where most of the spending decisions are already made.

THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS IN AUGUST ON TV SCREENS. WHAT DO EDUCATIONAL ADS TELL US ABOUT SOCIAL VALUES – AND ABOUT OURSELVES?

30. 8. 2025 | 13 min read Television campaigns focused on education no longer promote only crayons, backpacks and university brochures. Instead, they have become a tool for presenting universal social values, parental ambitions and cultural identity. From Target’s musical spectacle in the US to the digital revolution of India’s Byju’s to the film-style public campaign of the French Ministry of Education, education is now more than just a product in advertising. In the Czech environment, we are still keeping our feet on the ground, but this may be a call for positive change.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGNS ARE HERE, BRANDS TARGET PARENTS AND STUDENTS

22. 8. 2025 | 4 min read As the start of the school year approaches, major brand marketing campaigns aimed at students and parents have kicked off.