How bulletproof backpack brands are marketing this back-to-school season

There’s one item some parents are looking for this back-to-school season, but it’s unlikely to be on any school-provided supply lists or stocked in the school supplies aisles at mainstream retailers. Following the Uvalde, Texas school shooting in May, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed, consumer interest in bulletproof backpacks or backpack inserts has skyrocketed.

A recent survey of 582 parents from Finance Buzz, which offers financial advice, found that 28% are considering buying a bulletproof backpack for their schoolchildren, 16% already purchased one or were planning to do so, 21% were not considering buying one and 35% didn't know they existed.

“It’s exponentially much busier this year—after Uvalde, it was like a slot machine the orders came in so fast,” said Carrie Gaines, who founded St. Augustine, Florida-based bulletproof insert seller A Safe Pack four years ago. She said sales have increased at least by a double-digit percentage compared with last year. “The other interesting part is I’m getting orders from all over the entire country—it doesn’t seem like it’s isolated to one area.”

With back-to-school season already nearing its end—many students in midwestern, southern and western states returned to school this month and the remainder of schools will reopen shortly after Labor Day—sellers of bulletproof safety items are hoping to take advantage of the excessive demand they are seeing. But marketing such items, which are classified as body armor, can be a challenge. Steve Naremore, owner of Houston-based TuffyPacks, which sells inserts and backpacks, said that advertising his products can be difficult given media restrictions.

“The issue is our category, it’s pretty morbid,” he said. “Since inception, our challenge has been to be able to spin our ad dollars where they’re going to be the most effective.”

Most national TV networks have turned down Tuffy’s requests for spots, Naremore said, because of the “high morbidity factor” of the topic itself. Tuffy sells its products through its own channels and at gun stores. “Major retailers and big box stores and such feel that if they carry a product like ours, it’s like saying they’re giving up on the problem, it’s a Band-Aid,” Naremore continued. Tuffy used to sell on Amazon before the e-commerce giant changed its policies regarding bulletproof backpacks, he said.

Tuffy now relies on generating awareness through Google and the social media posts of parent customers. Naremore said a recent customer post helped increase traffic. Tuffy is one of the topmost listings under “bulletproof backpack” organic search on Google, he said.

Tank the turtle

When Gaines started A Safe Pack, she knew the product needed to be understandable for children. She created Tank, a cartoon turtle mascot that uses his shell as protection, to help communicate her brand offering.

“Tank lightens the mood, it’s relatable for kids,” said Gaines.

The character appears on A Safe Pack’s website and in its marketing on Facebook and Instagram. Gaines plans to work with Kathy Ireland’s team at Modern Living on a marketing campaign this fall. The push will focus on how the inserts are different from similar products and the role that Tank plays in the brand. She said the campaign will be amplified on A Safe Pack’s social media channels as well as on Modern Living’s channels.

Experts say that brands need to be careful when marketing these types of products given the lack of guarantees when it comes to a shooting.

“At a time when everybody is incredibly heightened in how do we keep our kids safe now that we have to send them back to school, what do we do, everyone’s clamoring for the shiny object,” said Jaclyn Schildkraut, associate professor in the criminal justice department at the State University of New York at Oswego. “The reality is none of these products have any evidence to support their efficacy to do what they say they’re going to do in the situation they say they’re going to do them in.”

She added that bulletproof backpacks are also very expensive, ranging in price from $150 to $500. A Safe Pack’s inserts start at $197. The company’s website currently offers a 10% discount.