Academy Sports + Outdoors has launched its Back to School ad campaign, “Ask Them.” The campaign is all about giving back-to-school back to the kids.
With back-to-school becoming increasingly back-to-stress for parents, the season can feel like an endless cycle of scheduling, prepping, and planning. But in between the checklists, there’s a fun opportunity too: helping kids discover their own style and giving them the confidence they need for 180 days of class, practice, and playgrounds.
Academy Sports + Outdoors collaborated with agency of record McGarrah Jessee to give back-to-school back to kids. The Ask Them campaign gives the microphone to real kids and asks them what’s in, what’s out, what they feel about school and beyond. The goal wasn’t to find a single answer, but to remind everyone that every kid should be able to prioritize their own confidence, comfort and style. There are a thousand ways to be a kid, and Academy has something for every one of them.
Real kids from Texas were cast for the campaign; each was given a gift card to shop at Academy and pick out their own outfits, no direction, just what they actually wanted to wear.
The campaign is also anchored in the brand’s “Fun Can’t Lose” platform built on a simple truth: the journey matters more than the score. The brand platform, which originally launched in the summer of 2025, marked the company’s largest brand-building investment to date.
Lauren Greenfield directed the campaign, known for her documentary work and the ‘Run Like A Girl’ ad campaign.
The integrated campaign will run across linear TV, streaming, online video, and social across Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky.
Quote from Academy’s EVP, Chief Customer Officer, Chad Fox:
“Kids know what they want long before they walk into the store. At Academy, we have the brands and styles kids are excited to wear, so instead of telling kids what back-to-school should look like, we wanted to hand them the microphone. ‘Ask Them’ is about giving back-to-school to the people going back: the kids. We were excited to have the team at McJ bring a fresh perspective to the back to school season and give kids the styles they want to wear to feel confident.”
