Why Back-to-School is Back to Cool!
June 29, 2006
Back to School is a short but important time in the annual sales calendar for
many consumer-facing organisations. And it's the time when competition to
seize the hearts and minds of the school age audience is at it's most
intense. Clearly there are many issues a responsible marketer is
considering – the ethics, content and style of the campaign, and of
course, the stringent guidelines we, as responsible marketers, have laid
out. In addition, we need to be mindful of educational guidelines -
whether it's meeting the items on the check list of what each child needs
for the coming school year, or simply keeping in line with overall trends
and direction in terms of what's being taught. It's finding the balance
between being responsible and being cool enough to appeal to our young
audiences.
And there are some major differences in today's school
yards from even just a few years ago. Students are becoming more
sophisticated and technology driven but also increasingly aware of
branding and trends.
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A quick look in any playground in Europe will show how ubiquitous the mobile phone has become. But it's not just for staying in touch, it's a key part of a teenage identity and has become an important marketing tool to reach and communicate with this audience. The record industry is all too aware of this; music downloads have now overtaken physical record sales demonstrating the significance of the mobile phone not just for dialogue (through text and directing audiences to online sites) but also as a sales channel. Teenagers have become much more style-savvy. They're brand |
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aware and full of attitude. And they're a key part of the
purchase decision, even if they're not actually holding the purse strings themselves. |
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So, why is it important that Back to School is cool? Well, in simple terms, for us here at Esselte it's an increasing part of our business, and it's key to securing the loyalty of this emerging set of consumers.
The stationery market, as many other commodity markets, is broken down into brand and own-brand labels. Own brands tend to undercut the brands in terms of price and quality is variable. Branded goods therefore have to compete not just on terms of price but in what they offer to differentiate themselves and prove to be the consumer choice.
Here at Esselte/Leitz, we're known for our quality - in fact, in recent product tests of our lever arch files, ours opened and closed more than 10,000 times in comparison to 2,000 and 3,000 times from many of the competing products in the market.
And whilst these may be everyday products, the consumer can be satisfied that these do what he's expecting them to and maybe more. But of course, we have had more than one hundred years to get this right since Louis Leitz invented the lever arch file from his workshop in Stuttgart.
Of course, there are other elements in the decision making process and design and looks come high up on the list. Our ongoing Back to School research highlighted that 89% of teens in Germany and 81% in France said attractive design was key to their choice of ringbinder purchase. After all, who wants a file sitting on their desk that looks awkward or is falling apart? It's about getting the style and functionality right at a price that's good too. Hey, this is basic marketing, right?
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And this is where the 'cool' factor really comes in. We work with research analysts and designers to understand future trends to keep us ahead of the pack. This year, we've been working with Peclers Paris, a leading trend forecasting agency that works with many household name luxury brands. Their prediction is for hot and tropical colours for this audience and we're seeing these vivid hues coming through in fashion and make-up lines. For our design-conscious audience, it's important that we get this right – its part of how they're presenting themselves and they want to know they're looking good with the added comfort of knowing that our products are doing the job they're supposed to be. |
And this year, we've added a promotion that features ringtones, wallpaper and an animated game – all, by definition, limited edition. Featuring an animated character created specifically for our 2006 promotion, they're designed to appeal to a 13 to 17 year old, mainly female audience. And they're accessed either from a mobile phone or from an online site. It's more than just great products, it's the accessories and support that also is important to this emerging audience. Whether it's about individuality – these are limited edition so the consumer knows if they don't get one this year, they can't have one at all – or conformity (access is available to purchasers and non-purchasers) – this is understanding the desires and drivers of this audience.
So, why should Back to School be Back to Cool? It's about image. But it's also about brand loyalty and this is a design-savvy audience that will steadily increase its income and purchasing potential. And this audience will recognise good branding in combination with quality product and keep coming back. And when students go back to school this September, they'll be going back with added cool.
About Esselte
Esselte, with executive offices in Stamford, Conn., USA, is a leading global office supplies manufacturer with annual sales of approximately USD 1 billion, subsidiaries in 33 countries and approximately 5,000 employees worldwide. The company develops innovative solutions that simplify the modern home and workplace. Esselte sells more than 20,000 different office products in over 120 countries; its principal brands include Esselte, Leitz, Oxford®, Pendaflex and Xyron. More information about Esselte can be found by visiting www.esselte.com
Media Relations
To contact media relations at Esselte, please contact Sharon Mann (smann@esselte.com) or use our online contact form »Recent News
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