American Eagle returns to school.
To celebrate, the retailer is rolling out its fall 2021 “Future Together, Jeans Are Forever” back-to-school campaign while leveraging the brand’s Snapchat virtual shopping experience.
“We’re having so much fun and success with Snapchat right now,” American Eagle Marketing Director Craig Brommers told WWD. “Both sides of the [American Eagle and Snapchat] partnership push each other towards innovation and commitment to our client.
Looks at the American Eagle Fall 2021 Campaign, featuring cast members Jenna Ortega, Madison Bailey and Addison Rae. Courtesy photo OEA
It all started during the holiday shopping season last year, when American Eagle launched its first Snapchat shopping experience, a virtual pop-up, followed by a 3D Snapchat Jeans digital guide in the spring.
The latest American Eagle x Snapchat shopping experience, launching today, builds on this momentum, allowing shoppers to browse the entire AE assortment through “Dress Yourself” augmented reality. Using the Snapchat Camera, consumers can take a photo of themselves and then virtually try on selected pieces from across the American Eagle assortment. They will also be able to share looks with friends and purchase products in the app.
Additionally, American Eagle is teaming up with Bitmoji for the first time. Buyers can see the campaign cast – which includes Netflix’s “Outer Banks” stars Chase Stokes and Madison Bailey, TikTok personality Addison Rae, Netflix’s “Stranger Things” star Caleb McLaughlin and actress Jenna Ortega – as Bitmoji characters, dressing them in various American clothes. Eagle outfits. Consumers will also have the option to create their own Bitmoji and dress in American Eagle styles.
“The experience highlights something that has been truly passionate about us at American Eagle for about a year: We give our customers the ability to shop anytime, anywhere, however they want,” said Brommers. . “And putting innovation, an engaging experience, as well as ease of purchase, in a few clicks, that was something our client reacted to really well. This reinforces us that Generation Z is a very social generation.
In fact, the American Eagle brand has sold over $ 2 million in merchandise through the Snapchat vacation pop-up alone, while generating around 50 million pageviews. That’s just a fraction of the $ 1.29 billion in revenue from parent company American Eagle Outfitters – which also includes the Aerie, Offline, Todd Snyder, and Unsubscribe brands – recorded in the normally lucrative fourth quarter of the year. last year. It’s still impressive, nonetheless, helping to pave the way for an equally successful Snapchat Spring Campaign, which saw around $ 760,000 in sales and a click-through rate 300% above Snapchat’s benchmark metric rate.
Actors in the American Eagle Fall 2021 Back-to-School Campaign. Photo courtesy OEA
It also helps that American Eagle has selected some of Gen Z’s most prominent young talent to appear in the campaign, all of whom will be attending tonight’s event on Clubhouse, the audio-only social networking site.
“We wanted to work with the people who were going to define the culture,” Brommers said. “The five [cast members] together are a terrific, inclusive, upbeat and energetic cast that will excite a lot of people and [want to] return to the malls and return to our site to shop for back to school. And we thought the Clubhouse event would be an innovative way to get actors talking about their experience on set, their experience with the clothes and what they have in their personal and professional lives in the months to come.
Caleb McLaughlin is one of the stars of the American Eagle Fall 2021 campaign. Courtesy photo OEA
McLaughlin added that the diversity of Gen Z – or at least their portrayal in mainstream media for the first time – is what makes their cohort so unique.
“No one is really the same anymore,” he said. “Everyone has their own thing. Different people come together, different cultures, different races. I think that’s what’s special about Gen Z.
But it’s not just Generation Z that has taken a liking to the brand. Brommers said the growth of the American Eagle app spanned all demographics. The same goes for returning to physical stores, even as consumers continue to engage online.
“The return to the physical world is real,” he explained. “We’ve seen it in our traffic trends. We have seen it in our customers, when they have the chance to return to American Eagle stores, to look, touch and smell the product. So we create a really engaging environment.
“The majority of the back-to-school children did not have a traditional return to school last year,” Brommers continued. “Our internal mantra has been that the halls of the school will be the track this fall. But there is no doubt that digital commerce has been a winner during the pandemic. The strength of this chain is also here to stay. Don’t think for a moment that interesting and engaging digital experiences are going to go away. Consumers are constantly switching between this physical and digital world. “
Chase Stokes (left) and Caleb McLaughlin star in American Eagle’s fall 2021 back-to-school campaign. Photo courtesy OEA
McLaughlin said he was eager to re-enter the world of IRL socialization.
“That’s what this campaign is all about,” he said, describing the shoot that took place in a Southern California desert over the summer. “It’s just about being with friends and being together, because we’ve been gone for so long. I have had the opportunity to work with a few of my peers in the industry and have had a great time doing it.
“And fashion has always been a big thing in my life,” added McLaughlin. “I wanted to share this with people. ”
When it comes to what shoppers are buying, Brommers has called the current shopping season a “denim palooza,” with multiple silhouettes in vogue, from mom jeans to flares to boyfriend styles, so much so that the company is launching “jeans bars” in stores to help navigate the range of options. (McLaughlin is a fan of Airflex athletic skinny jeans.) There are lots of bright colors and 90s-inspired finds too.
“The” Future Together, Jeans Are Forever ”campaign symbolizes our mission to inspire the positivity of our customers and this influential cast is perfect for creating an emotional connection that comes with togetherness,” said Jennifer Foyle, President, Creative Director executive of American Eagle and Aire. “At AE, our goal is to celebrate individuality and the freedom to be truly unique yourself. This season, we’re inspired by the back-to-school excitement and have an amazing collection of new jeans and tops silhouettes for the perfect outfit.
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