It’s become a well-known fact now that the back to school season is its very own event and there’s no better stage for parents and students to show off their trendy style than social media.
The rise of social media in recent years has spread across all age groups, leaving no demographic behind. From teens to baby boomers, all ages are using channels like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to engage with their networks and share content.
When Target launched its Stylagrams campaign a year ago to help parents celebrate their children’s style, parents were invited to Instagram a picture of their child with the hashtag #KidsGotStyle and @Target in the caption. For five days, the brand used winning photos to create curated collections of Target products, called Stylagrams, inspired by the pictures.
This type of engagement offered parents a fun way to share content and also engage more deeply with the brand’s fashions.
Seventeen Magazine’s Rock the Hallways Instagram contest, on the other hand, directly appealed to students. Readers were invited to snap a ‘selfie’ of their back-to-school fashion and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #17COVERGIRL. Entrants were required to follow @seventeenmag and @covergirl for a chance to win a slew of prizes and perks, including a homecoming prize package consisting of a $500 shopping spree, a makeover and limo transportation to and from a homecoming event.
These engagement tactics appealed to popular behaviors among teenagers, and the relevant prize package successfully motivated participation.