Stop Cutting My Summer Short

So this week's rant must tread on very delicate grounds. For professional reasons, I will forgive the sins of retailers, some of which I work on.

But, from a completely personal point of view, I have but one thing to say: please, I implore you, let me enjoy my summers the way I used to when I was a kid.

When I was young, summers seemed endless. The toll of the school bell in September was always something that lingered forever on the horizon. And the realization that we had to go back to school only sunk in when we found ourselves sitting in the hydro field with the entire neighbourhood gathered around for a blistering fireworks displays on Labour Day weekend.

In the summer, I didn't watch TV. I was too busy playing SPUD or Hide 'n' Seek until the streetlights came on. And then, it was in the bath and to bed.

Those were the days. And it was all so poetic. The world seemed right. Youth was revered and given every minute of the summer for first kisses, truth or dare, skateboarding and cut knees...pure innocence.

But here we are in 2011, barely the first week of August, and we are being bombarded with the "buy, buy, buy" message of back to school. A full month-plus of when the actual event takes place.

Look, I'm all for getting a jump start on things - I'm a "planning" type of guy. But I really don't want to think about back to school and all that it represents at this stage. After all, it's still summer right? We should be focused on making sandcastles, staying up late and watching meteor showers and singing songs by campfires. Not worrying about whether we'll have enough sheets to fill the binders we may or may not have purchased.

It has become the curse of marketing to be "first" to put a message out there. Beat the competition. But at what cost? Increasing the stress on already stressed-out families?

Here's an idea. Instead of spending millions of dollars on back-to-school TV ads a month ahead of schedule, try re-allocating that money into things that will really endear people to your brand. Sponsor pop-up movie nights in parks to give families a chance to bond before everyone gets "back down to business." Give me something nostalgic with my purchase like a burning school house. Whatever...But just stop hawking your wares without due consideration of the emotional needs of your audience.

It's not "the most wonderful time of the year." Far fucking from it. It's hard watching your kids go off to school for the first time. It's a burden hoping that they'll get the grades they need to get into the university of their choice. I, for one, hate back to school. It is ultimately the time when everyone goes their separate ways, each one with their own goals and aspirations. It is a time of parting as a family unit and the summer wanes...

The last sunset. Pink sky. Solitude. And then, chaos.

Let's hope that some retailer will figure this out. It is a huge emotional time for so many people and no one is even close to fulfilling that role. What a missed opportunity.

And that's my brain fart for August 12, 2011.