While beach and BBQ season is still in high gear for many students, retailers are already prepping parents for the rush back to class.
Among those getting ready is RBC Rewards, which is rolling out its annual back to school campaign about a month before most classes start.
“We made a conscious decision to get out a little earlier this year,” said Jennifer Howard, RBC’s marketing head, digital, payments and cards.
Howard said the decision to go live in August stems from a desire to differentiate the brand from other rewards programs. “Being as noisy as the season is, we wanted to get out early,” she said.
Titled “What Students Want. What Students Need,” the campaign highlights the balance between kids’ tastes and parents’ wallets.
“Whether they are five or 15, kids talk about needing something. We’re trying to bring that to life—that what a parent sees as a need is very different than what a child sees as a need,” she said.
Indeed, kids might say all of the latest gadgets are a need, but parents are often wise to offer a sober, second thought.
And with her own child heading into high school, Howard knows first hand this time of year can be have a big impact on the family budget.
“It’s not just about pencils and paper, it’s about technology and having the best basketball shoes—all those expensive things.”
Last year, RBC Rewards and its creative agency Grip used a more traditional campaign (filled with chalkboards and other school icons), which aimed to educate consumers about the unique program features.
This year, the campaign is aiming to give the program a stronger voice and showcase RBC Rewards “as a bit of a one-stop shop,” said Howard.
For instance, through a partnership with Best Buy, customers can redeem their points on products and opt to have them shipped to their homes or to the store of their choosing.
Plus, with the “Payback with Points” option, shoppers can put their reward points to anything they’ve purchased with their card.
“It brings the whole universe into the program,” she said.
Highlighting the potentially unending student wants angle of the campaign is a cheeky video spot, which uses a “Just for Laughs” approach, some clever props and real passersby at a Toronto park.
“There was more footage than what we knew what to do with, but it truly was spontaneous,” said Howard of the ad, which has a young person pulling loads of items out of a fake bottomless backpack.
Campaigns from the past two years also mark a varied approach, with RBC Rewards using media outside of its own channels including targeted ads at BestBuy.ca and online shopping sites to market the rewards program directly to consumers.
