Demographic Expansion: Campaigning Aerie’s New Shapewear Collection
Strategic Creative Brief:
Aerie EmbraceYOU aims to foster confidence and body positivity among women aged 40-50 by introducing a premium collection of quality clothing. The campaign focuses on addressing body insecurities and introduces new products like tummy control leggings and flare pants, cozy sweaters, cardigans, bras, and shapewear. Aerie believes in the transformative power of fashion. The campaign communicates that clothing is not just about aesthetics but serves as a tool for self-expression and empowerment. By wearing Aerie EmbraceYOU products, women can feel not only stylish but also supported and confident in their skin.
The campaign acknowledges the prevalent issue of body insecurities among women aged 40-50. Aerie seeks to address these insecurities by creating a safe and inclusive space where women can embrace their bodies. The collection is curated to cater to different body types, providing options that empower women to feel confident and beautiful. The core mission of the Aerie EmbraceYOU campaign is to instill a sense of confidence and body positivity among women aged 40-50. Recognizing the unique challenges and societal pressures faced by this demographic, Aerie aims to create a campaign that goes beyond fashion and becomes a platform for self-celebration. There are four main key players in the creation of this campaign: foster confidence and body positivity, introduce innovative products, address unique challenges the target audience faces, and promote self-celebration.
A key highlight of the campaign is the introduction of innovative products that cater specifically to the needs of women in this age range. Cozy sweaters, cardigans, bras, and shapewear are meticulously crafted to prioritize both comfort and style, ensuring that each garment contributes to a positive and empowering experience, along with comfort and style. Tummy control leggings and flare pants offer a blend of fashion and functionality, providing a flattering silhouette. Aerie recognizes that feeling good in what you wear contributes significantly to overall confidence. The collection offers versatile options, allowing women to express their style while enjoying the comfort and support provided by each garment.
The campaign features real women from the target demographic as brand ambassadors. By showcasing diverse individuals who authentically embody the spirit of Aerie EmbraceYOU, the brand reinforces its commitment to authenticity and relatability. This approach strengthens the connection between the brand and its audience, creating a more genuine and trustworthy brand image. It also emphasizes timeless pieces that transcend fleeting trends. Aerie EmbraceYOU offers wardrobe staples that remain relevant season after season, encouraging a more sustainable and mindful approach to fashion consumption. The campaign communicates the value of investing in quality pieces that withstand the test of time, both in terms of style and durability.
Aerie EmbraceYou is not just a clothing campaign. It's a holistic initiative to redefine beauty standards, promote self-love, and provide women aged 40-50 with a wardrobe that aligns with their lifestyle and aspirations. The campaign goes beyond conventional fashion marketing by creating a safe and inclusive space where women can find clothing options that cater to different body types. By offering a curated collection, Aerie empowers women to feel confident and beautiful, irrespective of societal pressures or challenges related to body image. Through this campaign, Aerie aspires to become a symbol of empowerment for women at every stage of life.
Audience / Consumer Research:
Our target audience would consist of a core of women in their 40s-50s. These women would share the values of authenticity, body positivity, and comfort and functionality. When developing the creative direction for the Aerie campaign, it is essential to understand our audience and consumer motivations. The approach of the campaign is grounded in both qualitative and quantitative research to help gain insights into what drives our target audience.
To start, we will be using qualitative research through one-on-one conversations, focus groups, and online surveys with Aerie customers. A major insight that drives this decision is body positivity. Our audience shares Aerie’s goals in the spreading of body positivity. They’re looking to support a brand that produces clothing that makes them feel comfortable and confident in their skin. We’ve also received feedback that it’s increasingly important to our audience that we focus on comfort and functionality. We want to make sure our products reflect exactly what our customers will feel the most comfortable and confident in. Through conversations with customers, we as a company will be able to better understand the different designs and shapewear needed to make all body types feel the most secure and at ease. With that being said, another important insight is the brand's authenticity. We want to be able to engage with real people. We pride ourselves on making our customers feel comfortable in their skin and that means seeing untouched images and real relatable stories straight from our customers.
Aerie is also very fashion-conscious and digitally savvy, with most of its promotion done on social media. Online engagement is extremely important to our brand. It’s a key insight that we believe is important to gain necessary feedback and actively engage with our audience.
Furthermore, we wish to use quantitative research as well. We’ve decided to focus on data based on purchase behavior, digital engagement, and potential deterrents from the site. Through the purchase behavior data, we will be able to see preferences for specific pieces that cater to varying lifestyles. This way we can discover what products to release that will have the best sales and feedback output. Our digital engagement will increase sales and chances of reaching audiences in a technology-driven world. For example, key channels for us would be Facebook, Instagram, and Email marketing. Finally, quantitative research would allow us to see topics that are potential deterrents from our site. We can identify areas where potential customers drop off and use this information gained to change our strategy.
Competitive analysis:
Aerie's EmbraceYOU campaign, focusing on body positivity and inclusivity in activewear, faces competition from various brands in the market. One of the larger competitors for Aerie and this EmbraceYOU campaign is Old Navy and its activewear line. Their activewear line targets a diverse demographic, with their key intentions of emphasizing affordability, style, and functionality. Old Navy's brand identity revolves around inclusivity and accessibility, making it a key competitor for Aerie's EmbraceYOU campaign.
Old Navy's athletic collection and Aerie's EmbraceYOU campaign both offer inclusive sportswear, but they differ in terms of style, messaging, and cost. Aerie's ad, which targets a generation looking for empowerment via fashion, impresses in its explicit focus on body positivity and premium quality. On the other hand, Old Navy's sportswear appeals to a wide range of customers who are searching for reasonably priced yet fashionable solutions due to its affordability and wider appeal. Old Navy’s activewear line is also stretched to a wide audience and doesn’t get as specific as this new target audience for Aerie. The new EmbraceYOU campaign has created a line that is specific to a target audience and has reinvented clothing to fit the needs they look for in the clothes they purchase. This allows Aerie to stand out against Old Navy in the retail field.
Old Navy places a strong emphasis on price and affordability, yet Aerie places itself in the high-quality market. Customers who appreciate the quality of their clothing and are prepared to spend money on products that align with their beliefs are drawn to Aerie, which justifies a higher price point. The key to Aerie's success is clearly conveying the value proposition of its products, making sure that customers believe the extra price is worth it, and maintaining a strong brand image.
Another strong competitor for this EmbraceYOU campaign from Aerie is Fabletics. Fabletics offers a wide variety of athletic apparel and athleisure clothing for their consumers to browse and choose from. Considering they have such an extensive line, where some pieces may have similar takes on style that Aerie also takes, this creates some competition between the two brands with this new release. Considering that Fabletics also covers a similar line of clothing, there is a similar target audience between the two brands. The messages between the two are where the brands differ and the release of a new line by Aerie that is specific to a new target audience is also where the two brands differ.
Aerie should utilize its digital platforms that are already well established for interactive marketing, influencers, and engaging content to strengthen its brand presence. The goal is to sell activewear and athleisure, while also creating a community around the EmbraceYOU campaign, fostering conversations surrounding the key goals of this new line and allowing it to expand among consumers. If Aerie takes the opportunity to expand outside of the clothing line itself, it will make it as a brand stand out from its competitors.
Key message:
Our world is filled with images of beauty standards and airbrushed perfection. Aerie stands as a beacon of authenticity and self-acceptance. We believe that real beauty should be celebrated, untouched and unaltered. With every campaign and collection that Aerie has, it is made clear that beauty is not confined to a singular, unrealistic image, but it also takes on countless forms of each unique and extraordinary individual. This commitment to the real you is the heart and the soul of Aerie.
At Aerie, our brand promise is very simple but very powerful. Aerie is there to empower individuals to embrace their true selves and find confidence within themselves. The mission has been made to redefine beauty and inspire self-assurance. Aerie is not only a brand, it is a movement that encourages everyone to express themselves, love who they are, and appreciate the beauty that comes with being a genuine person.
Unlike many other people in the fashion industry, Aerie has made a resounding commitment to showcasing people's real bodies in our advertising. Aerie is very proud to say that there are no filters and that there is no retouching. It has been said that this isn't a tagline, it's a promise to all of Aerie's customers. Models and influencers for Aerie proudly display their true selves, including their flaws, and this sends a powerful message that you don't need to alter yourself to be beautiful.
Aerie believes that everyone deserves to have access to stylish, comfortable, and well-fitting clothing. There is a wide range of sizes, ensuring that our brand is inclusive and caters to diverse body types. Aerie doesn't only want to sell clothing, the goal is to make everyone feel comfortable and confident in what they are wearing.
The #EmbraceYOU campaign is more than just a hashtag. It is also a movement that will encourage individuals to embrace their bodies for who they are. Self-love is the foundation of true beauty and is committed to promoting a culture where people appreciate themselves for who they are no matter their age.
Aerie isn't only a brand, it is also a community. Our customers, models, employees, and partners form a collective that celebrates and promotes self-confidence and body positivity. Open dialogue is encouraged along with self-expression and support which fosters an environment where everyone will feel valued, seen, and included.
Aerie is more than a clothing brand, it's a movement. Aerie invites you to join the journey of self-acceptance, self-love, and self-expression. Celebrating the real you is important and it promises authenticity and empowerment to be confident, proud, and comfortable in their skin. Embracing your real beauty with Aerie is possible, where authenticity meets confidence and where you are being celebrated for being the unique, beautiful individual that you are.
Personality/tone:
Tone and Personality: Timeless Confidence
Redefined Beauty Standards: The personality contributes to the campaign's mission of redefining beauty standards. It emphasizes that beauty goes beyond societal norms and embraces the enduring allure that comes with age.
Longevity in Style: Timeless Confidence reinforces the goal of offering a premium collection with pieces that have longevity in style. The campaign aims to communicate that investing in these classic styles is an investment in enduring elegance.
Empowering Confidence: The Timeless Confidence personality aligns with the campaign's goal of fostering confidence and body positivity. It communicates that true confidence is timeless, encouraging women to feel empowered at every stage of life.
These three points: redefined beauty standards, longevity in style, and empowering confidence, are key to the personality and tone of this Aerie EmbraceYOU campaign. The Timeless Confidence personality extends the campaign's mission to redefine beauty standards by celebrating ageless beauty. It emphasizes that every stage of life brings its unique charm and allure. The campaign showcases real women aged 40-50 as ambassadors, portraying them as confident and beautiful. The core of Timeless Confidence lies in empowering women at every stage of life. The personality communicates that true confidence transcends age, and every woman deserves to feel empowered, stylish, and beautiful, regardless of societal expectations or their thoughts. The campaign features narratives of personal empowerment, encouraging women to embrace their individuality and confidently express themselves. The campaign communicates that the premium quality of the clothing in the collection directly contributes to a sense of premium confidence. The emphasis on craftsmanship, attention to detail, and comforting materials reinforces the idea that confidence is not just about appearance but is also an inherent quality that is enhanced by the right choices.
Planned tactics:
The Aerie EmbraceYOU campaign aims to promote a lot of body positivity, inclusivity, and authenticity within the fashion industry. To make sure that there is success, it's important to strategically select media touchpoints that are going to resonate with our target audience and align with Aerie’s values. This plan outlines the mix of traditional and non-traditional tactics that can help create a comprehensive and engaging campaign.
Traditional Methods
Print Advertising: Using high-quality fashion magazines to show Aerie's diverse selection of products. This method helps to reach a broad demographic by instilling brand recognition and also setting a very strong visual presence.
Outdoor Advertising: Billboard and transit ads in major cities to grab attention and create a sense of brand visibility. These provide exposure to both locals and tourists.
TV Commercials: Creating a very compelling, emotionally charged TV commercial that emphasizes body positivity, and inclusivity and is aired during prime time slots and on popular networks.
Radio Advertising: Craft an empowering radio ad that will reach the target audience during their daily commutes or while they are at home, emphasizing Aerie's values and the products that they offer.
In-Store Promotions: Collaborating with other retail partners to create some in-store displays that feature Aerie's commitment to body positivity and inclusivity.
Non-Traditional Methods
Social Media Platforms: Focusing on Instagram and Facebook to leverage visually appealing content, influencer partnerships, and user-generated content sharing. All of these platforms are essential for connecting with Aerie’s target audience of women in their 40s-50s.
YouTube Channel: Developing Aeries YouTube channel with behind-the-scenes videos, influencer collaborations, and authentic storytelling, reinforcing the brand's commitment to authenticity.
Interactive Website and Blog: Creating a user-friendly, interactive website where customers can explore products, the brand values, and stories of real Aerie customers. Having a regular blog will feature articles on body positivity.
Email Marketing: Having targeted email campaigns with personalized content, exclusive promotions, and product updates to maintain a strong connection with existing customers and build brand loyalty. This will allow our demographic to access coupons and deals on their phone, so they are encouraged to shop in the store.
Influencer Collaborations: Partner with influencers who resonate with Aerie's values, extending the brand’s reach and enhancing its authenticity.
Pop-Up Shops: Organize temporary locations of pop-up ships for an immersive, real-world experience, which allows customers to interact with products and the brand's values.
By strategically having this combination of traditional and non-traditional media touchpoints, the Aerie campaign will effectively reach its target audience which will help reinforce its core values, and make an impact in promoting body positivity, inclusivity, and authenticity within the fashion industry. All of these tactics will build a strong brand identity, foster community engagement, and position Aerie as a leader in the fashion industry with a commitment to empowering individuals and being able to celebrate diverse beauty.
