Backpack Media, a first-to-market education media network which connects brands to high-intent moments across the college student journey, announced its strategic partnership with Kargo, the leading creative optimization platform. Together, the companies will give brands and agencies an exclusive opportunity to reach college students, recent graduates, and their families during their higher education journey. Key benefits of the partnership include:

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• A powerful combination of data, inventory, and creative: Backpack Media’s trusted, intent-rich first-party data insights through Sallie, combined with Kargo’s engaging creative formats and brand-safe premium environments, work together to capture attention, drive engagement, and deliver measurable performance.
• Meaningful reach that builds lasting loyalty: This partnership offers the reach, relevance, and efficiency needed to build impact and brand loyalty with students and families at scale and before key purchasing moments. Unlike broad Gen Z proxies or modeled segments, it’s built on life stage intelligence, including who’s heading off to college, about to graduate, or moving into their first apartment, so brands can show up at the moments that actually shape what students need next.
• Multi-format, full-funnel reach: Brands gain access to onsite placements across Backpack Media, part of the Sallie’s owned properties, and offsite digital and CTV distribution powered by trusted first-party audiences. Kargo’s CTV creative has been shown to capture attention 76% longer than the 30-second CTV ad benchmark and deliver impressions 78% more effective at keeping eyes on screens.

“Backpack Media’s deep education industry expertise, rich first-party audience intelligence, and growing partner ecosystem gives brands a precise, trusted channel to reach students and families. Our active campaigns show we can reach this audience at scale and efficiently across CTV and other channels where we operate. This is a highly engaged audience, and the results we’re delivering reflect that,” said Marco Steinsieck, Managing Vice President and Head of Advertising at Backpack Media. “Pairing Backpack Media’s predictive insights with Kargo’s high-impact offsite formats will enable brands to reach coveted Gen Z audiences with precision, utilizing first-party data to ensure accuracy and real-world relevance.”

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“College students and their parents are making some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives during this time, and they’ll remember the brands that show up in an impactful way,” said Libby Dondero, Senior Manager, Retail Media Solutions at Kargo. “Kargo’s high-impact creative formats are built to stop the scroll, tell a story, and drive action. Paired with Backpack Media’s verified educational audiences, we’re not just putting a brand in front of the right person, we’re putting the right experience in front of them at the right moment.”

The partnership comes as commerce media expands well beyond retail into new categories like education. Backpack Media gives brands direct access to students and early-career adults. Gen Z’s spending power is projected to hit $12 trillion by 2030, and with $86 billion flowing through the college back-to-school market annually, there are immediate opportunities for advertisers.