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Dive Brief:
American Eagle teamed with Snapchat for a back-to-school campaign targeting Gen Z that kicked off July 10, according to a Snap company blog post.
The retailer is featuring over 800 of its locations nationwide on Snap Map through the Promoted Places advertising placement. The brand will also launch an augmented reality AE Jeans Try-on Haul Lens within the Lens Carousel and its public profile.
The campaign makes American Eagle the first specialty fashion retailer to leverage Promoted Places. The retailer’s campaign is informed by research indicating that Snapchat users have a strong desire for in-person shopping this back-to-school season.
Dive Insight:
American Eagle is gearing up for the crucial back-to-school shopping season through its partnership with Snapchat to reach target Gen Z consumers. The move comes as spending among U.S. consumers during the season is expected to rise 3.3% year over year to over $33 billion, according to Coresight Research. Additionally, over 95% of Snapchat users plan to shop in-store for back-to-school this year, per data cited in release details, an insight that supports American Eagle’s decision to focus its efforts on Snap Map.
Over 800 of American Eagle’s retail locations are being featured on Snap Map as Promoted Places, allowing Snap users to learn more about the locations closest to them, view Stories and Spotlight content from American Eagle, creators and other users, and shop directly on the brand’s website. The move could help the retailer boost in-store foot traffic, with 400 million Snapchatters using Snap Map monthly, according to internal Snap data. Snap Map was also opened over 40 billion times during Q1.
Launched by Snap in October, Promoted Places highlights sponsored places of interest on the Snap Map. The placement was announced with launch partners McDonald’s and Taco Bell alongside Sponsored Snaps, which enables marketers to deliver a full-screen vertical video Snap directly to Snapchat users and featured Disney as a launch partner. The solutions join a number of other efforts from Snap — including recent bets on artificial intelligence — to court advertisers. The platform doubled its advertiser base in 2024.
American Eagle isn’t new to advertising on Snapchat, but its focus on Snap Map this season could help shore up stronger loyalty with the app’s users by appearing in the areas where they spend their time. The move also signals how brick-and-mortar strategies are shifting to better engage digital-first consumers. Beyond its latest effort, the retailer last summer launched a “Live Your Life” brand platform coinciding with the rollout of its back-to-school campaign.
Other retailers have similarly begun to roll out back-to-school marketing. Target in June unveiled two campaigns, “Hey Mom, I’m at Target” and “All of the Above,” targeted at college students and parents, teachers and younger kids, respectively. In May, Urban Outfitters announced a back-to-school “UO Haul” program that includes an emphasis on experiences catered to Gen Z.