Staples’ annual back-to-school campaign is prepping students and parents for the new year with a more empathetic approach to the challenges they may be facing.

This year’s campaign is built around the theme “We Feel You,” and designed to tap into the emotional and practical needs of parents and students, while acknowledging the pressures they face.

“This empathetic approach positions us not just as a retailer, but as a supportive partner in the back-to-school journey,” says Staples Canada chief digital and marketing officer Andrew Go. 

Go adds that the brand is working with Canadian influencers – who are parents, students and teachers themselves – as the heroes in its campaign creative, and collaborating with them on their channels to expand the brand’s reach. The new campaign is hitting a variety of platforms including earned media, paid media and social media. 

The creative celebrates all the back-to-school “feels,” while highlighting the deals and savings the chain is offering ahead of the new year. The “We Feel You” theme was developed from insight that parents are feeling more stretched than ever, Go says.

“We wanted to create a campaign that not only acknowledges these challenges, but also offers practical solutions and support,” Go tells strategy. He adds that this year’s campaign places a stronger emphasis on connecting with parents who are looking for an easy shopping experience to prepare for the new school year.

To assist with making the in-store experience easier, the brand is working with eCommerce company GeekSpeak Commerce to create an augmented reality experience called the “Backpack Challenge.” The result is a game tailed for 6-to-11-year-old children, played on mobile devices, where kids can find and collect hidden animals around Staples locations to add to a virtual backpack.

This year’s new campaign is backed by information found in Staples’ 2024 Back to School Study. The survey asked parents for their thoughts on the upcoming school year, and found that many still value the in-person shopping experience, with 88% saying at least half of their back-to-school shopping will be done in-store. The study also found that 88% said they’re looking to accomplish that shopping quickly and efficiently, with 70% saying it usually ends up being a chore.

“This highlights the fact that back-to-school remains as a moment where you may start your purchase journey by researching online, but that ultimately consumers want to go in-store, browse the latest trends and pick up the best deals,” Go says. “This insight has been important in shaping our campaign and in-store customer experience.”

The study also found that 59% of parents report tech as one of the top three biggest affordability challenges for back-to-school shopping, and that parents’ comfort with AI use for schoolwork more than doubles if that tech has been reviewed and approved by their children’s school, a stat that triples for parents of children who are aged six to 12. On top of this, a third of parents reported feeling well-informed about AI tools, while another third reported knowing little to nothing.

The study was conducted by Staples Canada from June 25 to 28, in both English and French, from a representative sample of parents with kids aged six to 17 in Canada.

Bensimon Byrne oversaw the creative behind the new campaign, with Golin handling PR and earned media, The Influence Agency taking on social and influencer media, and Jungle Media covering paid media.