As schools of all levels plan and prepare to hold classes this fall, there may be another use for sunscreen and other promotional products typically used outdoors. A movement to hold classes outside has taken root in the last month, gaining popularity from teachers and parents who are nervous to send their children back to the classroom. In early August, a New York Times article addressed how teachers in the 20th century adapted to a tuberculosis crisis by holding classes outdoors, enduring northeastern winter conditions with wearable blankets and heated soapstones at students’ feet.

For promo, this means there could be a new niche market to serve in the coming months: outdoor education. Sitting outside for hours each day means lots of exposure to ultraviolet rays. That also spells opportunity for distributors to pitch sunscreen and other outdoor products from suppliers like Prime Line (asi/79530) of Bridgeport, CT.

Flying discs, sunglasses and water bottles are some of Prime Line’s popular summer items, some of which may be valuable to students this school year.

Prime Line has been selling sunscreen for several years, but sales of the product are currently down 70%, compared to the same period last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and resulting dominance of PPE in the market, according to Dena Rothstein, senior director of product management. Still, all is not lost. A transitioning education market may be receptive to a product that serves their students’ safety and puts minds at ease.

“We’ve had a lot of customers say they’re working with PTAs from schools,” Rothstein says. The business has been mostly requests for PPE, she adds, but with an unusual amount of sun exposure, hats, sunscreen, sunglasses and water bottles may begin to fall under the PPE category for students and teachers working outside.

Similarly, tents and outdoor signage will prove useful in an outdoor setting. Recently, educational institutions have been looking for tents to host outdoor campus fairs, says Kevin Walsh, CEO of Showdown Displays (asi/87188) in Brooklyn Center, MN.

Events typically held in gymnasiums or auditoriums, such as club or student life fairs, are now being moved to fields and plazas. Showdown Displays has provided tents, backwalls, table covers, and signage to schools, bringing brand visibility while still promoting social distancing outside.

“The opportunity may be presenting itself in a different form or fashion,” Walsh says, “but tents and canopies are still being sold.”

In addition to the education market, similar products may be sold in the healthcare and personal finance markets. Blood drive organizations are doing everything they can to attract donors during the current shortage, including by hosting outdoor drives. Drive-through flu shots are being offered by some companies to employees and their families as fall steadily approaches. And businesses reevaluating healthcare plans may turn to insurance agencies propagating updated offerings at outdoor corporate events.

Rothstein of Prime Line hopes the promo industry will continue to see steady improvement. While there will “always be room for novelty and fun,” Rothstein believes the industry has barely scratched the surface on what the future holds.

“The consciousness has changed,” she says. “People are evolving.”