Connected Interactive’s 2016 Back-to-School Guide
What do we know about this year’s BTS season?
- The back-to-school season is growing in importance to Canadian consumers- according to a report by Initiative, 18% of parents plan to spend more on back-to-school shopping than they did in 2015.
- The BTS spend in Canada is also forecasted to grow exponentially- Canadians are projected to spend $512 million this year, second only to the upcoming holiday season[1]
Who makes up the back-to-school audience?
- According to Initiative- Parents are the main target audience for BTS products
- Parents are projected to spend an average of $480 on BTS shopping, while students are projected to spend less than half of that number at $208[2]
Which devices will be used to research BTS products?
- Laptops (24%) and Smartphones (20%) lead the devices that will be used for BTS research, following close behind are Desktop devices (15%) and Tablets (13%)[3]
How do social & mobile games resonate with parents?
- Mothers love gaming- the main demographic for social games is women in their late 30s/early 40s, working full-time with kids at home[4]
- 42% of moms have reported to game daily on their mobile device[5]
- These parents have income to spend- gamers have reported to have an individual income of $50K USD[6]
Why does gaming resonate so much with consumers?
- Advertising in gaming is elective: “non-intrusive, user-initiated ads have been shown to resonate strongly and create a more positive image with consumers. Brands that interrupt a consumers’ experience will be overlooked and can even cause a negative sentiment”[7]
- Traditional, intrusive forms of advertising are proving to annoy the modern consumer- 37% of US internet users now use ad-blockers to avoid non-elective forms of advertising[8]
How can Connected Interactive help you reach Moms via gaming?
- Connected Interactive specializes in customizable engagements that run over our large network of mobile and social games
- During an in-game engagement, users opt to interact with a brand in exchange for credits for the larger social/mobile game that they are playing
- In-game engagements are 100% customizable, and can incorporate video, display and rich media assets
- For more information, contact info@connectedinteractive.com to discuss how our in-game solutions can help you achieve your back-to-school goals today!
An in-game engagement that Connected Interactive ran for Walmart during the 2015 back-to-school season, view the working version here.
[1] Initiative, Back to School Study 2016, 2016
[2] Ibid, 2016
[3] Ibid, 2016
[4] Information Solutions Group, Popcap Social Gaming Research, 2011
[5] MediaPost, The Mobilization of the American Mom, 2014
[6] Information Solutions Group, Popcap Social Gaming Research, 2011
[7] Mobile Marketer, Snickers Campaign Exhibits the Importance of Non-Intrusive Ads, 2015
[8] eMarketer, Why More than a Quarter of US Internet Users Block Ads, 2016