Aerie brought its campus pop-up tour to the University of New Mexico on Sept. 17 and 18 to promote the brand’s new fall collection and new wireless push-up bra, as well as to spread a message of body positivity to students.
This was the first time that Aerie has done a promotion at UNM, since it’s opening at the Coronado Mall in 2017.
“I’m not a big fan of the mall, so I like pop-ups,” said Bethany Rivera, a psychology major at UNM, when explaining the appeal that the event held for her.
Set up in the newly remodeled Zimmerman Plaza, the shop featured clothing displays mainly consisting of bras, sweaters, sweatshirts, and leggings. In addition, an essential oils station was set up, where students could use the oils to create custom scents. Aerie provided a list of various combinations of the oils and their benefits.
The essential oils could be acquired through donation, with the money going to Bright Pink, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the awareness and prevention of breast and ovarian cancer. Aerie is partnering with Bright Pink throughout October by having the option to donate at stores.
“We use real girls, real bodies, and we never airtouch,” said Tara Mota, the manager of the Aerie store in Coronado.
She explained that the models shown in Aerie advertisements are meant to help girls feel more confident about buying Aerie clothes. She added that Aerie stores are also meant to provide a body positive shopping experience, with girls encouraged to leave supportive messages for each other on the Post-it notes provided in the dressing rooms.
Aerie’s current pop up tour is focusing on college campuses in order to spread their message of self-love to college-age women who will benefit from it.
The open-air setup with multiple displays contributed to the laid-back atmosphere of the event and was helpful in keeping the groups of students spread out, rather than crowded around a single point.
The shop was received positively by students who decided to stop and see what it had to offer. Along with the appeal of being able to peruse Aerie’s newest collection, students were also offered a 40 percent discount on all products when they signed up for the brand’s rewards program, AEO Connected, which is facilitated by Aerie’s sister company American Eagle.
In addition, the shop offered free yoga mats with purchases of $50 or more. This sale, as well as similar ones that Aerie frequently has at their brick and mortar location, was useful in attracting students to the brand.
Students also noticed and approved of Aerie’s body positivity marketing campaign.
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“I think it’s awesome,” said Kellie Loftis, a philosophy major. “They’re really good about stuff like that.”
Loftis and Rivera also both noted that Aerie’s collaboration with Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman for modeling campaigns has played a large part in spreading a message of strength and confidence.
This is a departure from marketing campaigns that rely on women feeling that they need to buy a product in order to fit into specific beauty standards. Aerie’s marketing makes an effort to reflect the diversity of the many different women who will see their products, helping to spread a culture of self-acceptance to UNM and beyond.
Veronica Apodaca is a culture reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @veeapodaca.
