Matalan Shifts Back to School Focus to the Chaos of the Return Home

In partnership with McCann Manchester and Havas Media Manchester, Matalan has launched its new Back to School campaign, acknowledging the chaos that September can often bring.

The campaign, which includes TVC, social, in-store and press activations, shifts focus from the often highly anticipated return to school, to the inevitable lived-in nature of the end of the day and coming 'Back From School'.

A continuation of the 'We Get It, We’ve Got You' creative platform, launched in Spring, this latest iteration draws comparison between the unbelievable perfection of the first day back to school, with perfectly knotted ties and buttoned up blazers, to the relative chaos of the return – kicking off shoes, with hair that’s just about survived the day.

'Back From School' is the latest Matalan offering cementing its position as the first choice for Matalan families who want great-value and uniforms which hold up against the realities of the school day.

McCann Manchester’s executive creative director Imogen Tazzyman said, “Back From School is the perfect embodiment of the 'We Get It, We’ve Got You' creative platform. The picture-perfect morning as our kids return to school quickly succumbs to the reality of family life and that’s a situation many of us recognise – our children getting involved in everything they can, while we battle to keep them neat and tidy.”

Havas Media Manchester general manager Lucy Barnes said, "Working alongside Matalan and McCann this latest campaign is not only rooted in the reality of what school uniforms have to contend with everyday, but the return from school also provides us with a clear and unique moment across media to stand out, further demonstrating that Matalan gets the reality of family life. All activated across a breadth of innovate media formats targeted to Matalan family buyers powered by 1PD integrations across media platforms."

Charlotte Dewhurst, marketing director at Matalan said, “We’ve spent a lot of time with our customers to understand their needs and we recognise that family life is wonderful but never picture perfect. The juggling act is real! This campaign showcases that we get them, and we’ve got them. When it comes to back to school, the real focus for Matalan families is on coming back from school, and they need us to provide great-value products that survive the day.”