On April 22, Newell Brands participated in Reddit’s Back-to-School Summit in New York City, where marketers and agencies came together to examine how back-to-school shopping decisions are evolving.

James Clarke, Head of Media at Newell Brands, joined the program to share how the company approaches the season across brands including Sharpie®, Paper Mate®, EXPO®, and Elmer’s®. The discussion focused on how consumer behavior is shifting toward more active, community-driven research—and how that shift is informing Newell’s media strategy.

Community-Led Discovery Is Shaping Purchase Decisions

Parents, teachers, and students are increasingly turning to platforms like Reddit to ask questions, compare products, and learn from others’ experiences before making a purchase. These conversations provide a real-time view into how preferences are formed, connecting directly to how Newell develops campaigns.

Insights from these interactions inform messaging, creative, and product positioning across the portfolio, ensuring that brand communications reflect how consumers are actually evaluating options during the back-to-school season.

Influence Develops During the Consideration Phase

This shift in behavior also shapes where and when media can have the most impact. As discussed during the fireside chat, influence often develops during the consideration phase, when consumers are actively weighing options.

Community platforms play a role in that process, complementing search and retail media efforts that capture and convert demand later in the journey. Aligning media investments to these moments allows Newell to engage audiences while decisions are still taking shape and consumers are evaluating their options.

Context Strengthens Campaign Performance

That approach carries through to execution. Clarke pointed to Sharpie’s “Rookie of the Year” campaign, which focused on reaching specific sports communities where relevant conversations were already happening.

By aligning the campaign with those contexts, Newell was able to drive engagement while supporting broader performance goals, reinforcing the connection between environment, relevance, and results.

Community Conversations and AI-Driven Discovery

The same dynamics are beginning to extend into AI-driven discovery. Conversations on platforms like Reddit contribute to the information that informs large language models and other search tools.

This creates a clear link between how brands are represented in community discussions today and how they may appear in emerging discovery environments, making participation in these spaces an ongoing consideration for media strategy.

A Connected Approach to Back-to-School

Taken together, these factors inform how Newell’s media team approaches the back-to-school season. Grounding media strategy in consumer behavior, aligning with moments of consideration, and focusing on context allows the company to adapt to a changing landscape.

The summit provided an opportunity to share this perspective while engaging with others across the industry navigating similar shifts.