British footwear retailer Clarks unveiled their Back to School summer campaign last week, aimed at capturing the excitement of returning back to school.

Titled ‘Jump into Clarks’, the marketing drive highlighted the brands promotional offers for the Back to School season.

Joe Ulloa, Clarks’ UK and EU president explains that the Back to School season is one of the most important trading periods of the year for the retailer.

He says: “It’s a season with huge heritage and nostalgia, as generations of families continue the tradition of buying school shoes from us.”

For Clarks heritage is incredibly important, Ulloa explains. However, the Back to School campaign is a an opportunity for the brand to be “bold, playful and fun” with its marketing.

He says: “We want our campaigns to capture the excitement of the new school year while showcasing what matters most to parents.”

This year’s campaign builds upon its previous years, which featured a cast from Clarks home county of Somerset. The brand once again chose to work with children from its local community because it felt “authentic” to its roots and reflected the communities that have supported it for over 200 years.

He explains: “It builds on that strong value message while placing even greater emphasis on the three things parents consistently tell us matter most: value, comfort and durability.

“By retaining the authenticity of our local casting while introducing a fresh creative concept inspired by the song ‘Jump’, we’ve evolved the campaign in a way that feels both familiar and exciting.”

Ulloa believes that this years marketing drive communicates its “strongest-ever value proposition” as it highlights Clarks biggest range of school shoes starting from just £25, as well as a kids bundle offer of buy two, get the third style half price.

He comments: “Alongside value, we wanted to highlight the comfort and durability that Clarks is known for, showing how our shoes support children through every jump, run and adventure. Reimagining Kris Kross’ iconic ‘Jump’ 90s hit-song perfectly captured that sense of movement, energy and fun through a uniquely Clarks lens.”

Clarks has been increasingly utilising social media. Ulloa believes that it plays an “increasingly important role in our marketing mix”.

He says: “Families are spending more time across digital platforms, so it’s an essential channel for reaching and engaging them with relevant, inspiring content.

“Whether it’s from our Clarks social page, or an influencer partnership – digital storytelling allows us to bring our products to life, demonstrating the comfort and durability of our school shoes, and connecting emotionally with parents through relatable moments. It also enables us to extend the reach of our campaign beyond traditional media, creating conversations and engaging audiences wherever they are.”

He explains that Back to School trends this year include a strong see demand for families looking for products that are excellent value but still deliver comfort and quality. The retailer has also seen a growing demand for “versatile styles”, such a all black trainers, which can easily transition between the classroom and the playground.

He says: “We continually analyse changing consumer needs and work closely across the business – from product development and sourcing through to supply chain and marketing – to ensure we’re delivering products that meet those expectations.

“Our focus is on providing durable, comfortable and affordable footwear while making sure families are aware of the breadth of our Back to School range.”

According to Ulloa, Clarks doesn’t define success by a single metric.

He explains that the firm takes a holistic approach to looking at the success of its campaigns. It takes into account both brand and commercial performance throughout the season.

He says: “We commission to understand how families perceive the Clarks kids offering and whether we’re strengthening key brand associations around quality, comfort and value.

“Alongside this, we measure campaign awareness, media coverage, social engagement, digital performance, store footfall and online traffic. Ultimately, one of the most important measures is how many families we support during the Back to School period and whether we’re helping parents feel confident they’ve found the right shoes for their children.”

Ullo highlights that the footwear brand’s wider marketing strategy centred around “communicating the value Clarks delivers through exceptional comfort, trusted quality and accessible pricing”.

He says: “Those principles extend across our women’s, men’s and children’s businesses and remain a long-term strategic focus for the brand. Back-to-school provides one of our biggest opportunities to demonstrate that commitment, reinforcing why families continue to choose Clarks year after year.”

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