For its 2026 "back-to-school" campaign, Kohl's is featuring Ellie Kemper promoting a $54 Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask + Moisturizer, not traditional academic supplies. Kohl's is featuring Ellie Kemper promoting a $54 Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask + Moisturizer, marking a strategic pivot, leveraging a familiar face to introduce high-end personal care items into a season typically dominated by school essentials. The shift aims to capture a broader segment of consumer spending by reframing the back-to-school period.

Back-to-school campaigns traditionally focus on academic essentials like notebooks and backpacks, but Kohl's is heavily promoting high-end beauty and home decor items. Kohl's heavily promoting high-end beauty and home decor items highlights a deliberate subversion of the widely understood purpose of seasonal retail, targeting adult discretionary spending rather than student needs.

Retailers are broadening the scope of seasonal campaigns to capture a wider consumer spend on lifestyle products, leveraging celebrity endorsements and loyalty programs to drive sales beyond conventional categories. Retailers are broadening the scope of seasonal campaigns to capture a wider consumer spend on lifestyle products, leveraging celebrity endorsements and loyalty programs to drive sales beyond conventional categories, a strategy that seeks to redefine seasonal shopping opportunities for a diverse customer base.

Unlocking Savings: Kohl's Rewards and Cash

  • $10 — Kohl's Cash offers this amount for every $50 spent during specific earning events, redeemable online and in-store, according to Savannah Morning News. This direct monetary reward incentivizes higher spending thresholds during promotional periods.

Kohl's Cash provides a tangible financial incentive, encouraging customers to increase their purchase value to earn rewards. This program helps cultivate repeat business and higher average transaction sizes, especially during key shopping seasons.

Ellie Kemper's Unexpected Back-to-School Beauty Picks

1. Little Co. by Lauren Conrad Brand