Commerce media is growing faster than the US ad market as a whole. In its September 2026 update, the IAB projected total US ad spend to grow 12.3% this year and commerce media 13.6%, behind only social media and CTV in its channel forecast. When a client brief names Gen Z or college students, campus retail media belongs in that plan.
This guide covers what you can buy through Follett Media Network (FMN), how to match it to a client's goal, how to scope it, and what to bring to the first conversation.
What is available
FMN sells media across Follett's campus stores and their websites: 1,000+ campus and digital stores, 6M+ college students reached, 9M+ in-store and online transactions a year and 61M+ annual site visits. The inventory falls into three groups.
In the store
In-store signage.
Promotional inserts in register purchases and web orders.
Product sampling, at the register, in web orders or at events.
Sponsored events and tabling. A sample event plan in the media kit runs from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. with a 10x10 display, samples and giveaways, and a photo backdrop with a QR code.
On campus store websites and in email
Native banners. The home page banner draws 1.6 to 5.1 million monthly views. My Offers tiles appear on every page and draw 2.3 to 7.7 million. The textbooks page draws 0.5 to 5.6 million.
Programmatic display. Onsite, ads run across 900+ school websites on bkstr.com. Offsite, they reach Follett's first-party site visitors across 1.1M+ websites and 173K mobile apps. Digital banners can be bought through a private marketplace or direct.
Email. A dedicated brand email or a banner in a Follett email, on weekly or monthly sends.
Through student voices
FMN also runs influencer marketing with student leaders, so a brand's message can come from students themselves.
Match channels to the client's goal
Start from the one result the client will judge the campaign on, then weight the budget toward the channels that move and report it.
For awareness, site banners, My Offers tiles and email put a brand in front of a large student audience quickly. In-store signs keep it visible where students shop.
For trial, sampling, inserts and tabling put product or an offer in students' hands. Because inserts and samples travel with register purchases and web orders, they also reach students who order online.
For sales, pair a trackable offer with channels that report sales. FMN's email reporting covers click-through rate, units sold, total sales revenue and brand sales revenue. Online marketing reporting covers revenue, click-through rate and conversion.
Mix them where the brief calls for it, and decide which channel carries the main objective and which ones support it.
Scope it: schools, weeks and market
Schools
Coverage can span the network or narrow to the schools that matter to the client. Onsite and offsite programmatic both offer school-level targeting, and in-store work can run at select stores. In its fall 2023 back-to-school campaign, a home organization retailer paired dedicated emails with a pop-up shop and signage in select stores. Its emails averaged a 38% open rate, and the campaign reported 2M average students reached.
Weeks
The academic calendar sets the timing. The fall semester typically runs from late August or early September through December, and the spring semester from mid to late January through May. Inside those terms, the media kit maps moments across the student journey, from orientation and game day to graduation. Choose the weeks when the client's product fits what students are doing, and book around them.
Market
National reach is one option. A brand that sells only in some regions can match the school list to those regions, and a brand with a launch can start with a smaller set of schools and expand.
What to bring to the first call
FMN's site puts the ask in one line: "Tell us the audience, objective, timing, and market." A short brief covers:
Audience: students only, or also parents, alumni and fans. FMN reaches all four.
Objective: awareness, trial or sales, and the measure the client will judge.
Timing: flight dates and the academic moments they need to hit.
Market: national, regional or a list of schools.
Budget range and any creative that already exists.
Reporting: what the client needs in the wrap report. FMN reports by channel, and pre and post audience awareness research is available on request.
With that, FMN can come back with a recommendation across campus and digital channels.
Why one partner beats stitching vendors together
Reaching students school by school can mean a separate vendor for each campus and each channel. FMN's aim is to "turn a national strategy into campus-specific moments without stitching together disconnected vendors."
Through one partner, signs, sampling, events, site banners, programmatic and email run across Follett's network. Digital targeting can still go down to the school. Reporting comes back by channel, alongside the real-time campaign tracking and customized reports listed in the media kit. For an agency, that means one plan to brief and one partner to traffic.
Plan a campus buy for your client
Get the FMN media kit for inventory, specs and case results, or book a short call with Vinny to scope a client brief.
Get the media kit | Book a call with Vinny
Sources
IAB, "IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth," press release, Sept. 10, 2026.
Coursera, "When Does College Start? Key Dates for Fall and Spring."
Follett Media Network media kit and website.